A Comparative Study of the Accuracy of Dies Made from Digital Intraoral Scanning vs. Elastic Impressions: An In Vitro Study

Purpose: To compare the dimensional accuracy of dies generated from digital intraoral scans with dies generated from conventional polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impression material. Materials and Methods: A machined metal die was impressed 10 times using PVS, and scanned 10 times using the iTero Cadent system and 10 times using the LAVA C.O.S. system. Dies generated from each system were imaged in a standardized holder using a microscope and measured with analytical software at three sites and compared with the dimensions of the master die. Results: The dimensional differences between the master die and both the PVS and iTero groups were approximately 60 μm in all three dimensions but the Lava C.O.S. die dimensions measured close to 100 μm at two of the three sites. Conclusion: PVS/Die and iTero groups offered superior reproduction of the master die in terms of dimensional accuracy, but these differences are likely of little clinical significance.