A quantitative study of 3D-scanning frequency and Δd of tracking points on the tooth surface

Micro-movement of human jaws in the resting state might influence the accuracy of direct three-dimensional (3D) measurement. Providing a reference for sampling frequency settings of intraoral scanning systems to overcome this influence is important. In this study, we measured micro-movement, or change in distance (∆d), as the change in position of a single tracking point from one sampling time point to another in five human subjects. ∆d of tracking points on incisors at 7 sampling frequencies was judged against the clinical accuracy requirement to select proper sampling frequency settings. The curve equation was then fit quantitatively between ∆d median and the sampling frequency to predict the trend of ∆d with increasing f. The difference of ∆d among the subjects and the difference between upper and lower incisor feature points of the same subject were analyzed by a non-parametric test (α = 0.05). Significant differences of incisor feature points were noted among different subjects and between upper and lower jaws of the same subject (P < 0.01). Overall, ∆d decreased with increasing frequency. When the frequency was 60 Hz, ∆d nearly reached the clinical accuracy requirement. Frequencies higher than 60 Hz did not significantly decrease Δd further.