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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
Published on: April 29, 2014
Accuracy of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing-generated dental casts based on intraoral scanner data
Sebastian B M Patzelt1, Shaza Bishti2, Susanne Stampf3
1Dr. Patzelt is an associate professor, scientific associate and the vice director, postgraduate program, Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He also is a visiting scholar and a research professor, Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Address correspondence to Dr. Patzelt at Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Huggstetter Strasse 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany, e-mail sebastian.patzelt@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Stereolithography (SLA) dental casts from intraoral scanners (IOS) demonstrate superior accuracy compared to milled casts. All evaluated full-arch casts offer clinically acceptable accuracy for dental applications.
Area of Science:
- Dental Technology
- Digital Dentistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Limited data exists on the accuracy of physical dental casts produced from intraoral scanner (IOS) 3D data.
- Evaluating the precision of full-arch casts generated via stereolithography (SLA) and milling is crucial for digital workflows.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and compare the accuracy of full-arch dental casts fabricated using stereolithography (SLA) and milling techniques.
- To determine the trueness and precision of casts produced from three different intraoral scanners (IOS).
Main Methods:
- A polyurethane model was digitized using a reference scanner and three IOSs.
- Scans were used to fabricate five physical dental casts per IOS via SLA and milling.
- Physical casts were scanned, and 3D evaluation software was used for data set comparison.
Main Results:
- Mean trueness values varied significantly among scanners: Lava Chairside Oral Scanner C.O.S. (67.50 μm), CEREC AC with Bluecam (75.80 μm), and iTero (98.23 μm).
- Mean precision values also differed significantly between scanner types, with Lava and CEREC showing better precision than iTero.
- Statistically significant differences (P < .05) were observed in both trueness and precision among the evaluated casts.
Conclusions:
- Stereolithography (SLA)-based casts demonstrated higher accuracy than milled casts.
- All investigated dental casts exhibited clinically acceptable accuracy levels.
- Highest deviations in casts may occur in distal areas, a factor for clinicians to consider.
