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Published on: May 30, 2019
Influence of 3D analysis software on measured deviations of CAD-CAM resin crowns from virtual design file: An
Burak Yilmaz1, Vinicius Rizzo Marques2, Mustafa Borga Donmez3
1Department of Reconstructive Dentistry and Gerodontology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Restorative, Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Division of Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, OH, USA.
Objectives:
To evaluate a nonmetrology-grade and a metrology-grade 3D analysis software when measuring the deviations of computer-aided-design/ computer-aided-manufacturing (CAD-CAM) fabricated crowns from the virtual design file.
Materials And Methods:
A right first molar on a mandibular dentate model was prepared and scanned with an intraoral scanner, i500 (Medit). A complete coverage crown was designed in standard tessellation language (STL) format and 20 resin crowns were fabricated with CAD-CAM. The crowns were then digitized using the same intraoral scanner (test-scans). Root mean square (RMS) method was used to evaluate the deviations between the test-scans and the design file of the crowns on 3 surfaces (overall, external, and internal) using a metrology-grade, Geomagic Control X (3D Systems) and a nonmetrology-grade, Medit Link (Medit) software. The data were analyzed with Welch two-sample t-tests to compare two software for the non-inferiority of the nonmetrology-grade software with a 50 µm threshold and the potential superiority of the metrology-grade software (α = 0.05).
Results:
The Welch two-sample t-tests for the non-inferiority analysis showed that the differences between the nonmetrology-grade and the metrology-grade software were below the threshold of 50 µm for each surface tested (p <0.001). The differences between the two-tested software were nonsignificant for each surface analyzed when superiority was considered (p ≥.194).
Conclusion:
The nonmetrology-grade software performed similar to the metrology-grade software when analyzing the deviations of CAD-CAM crowns. Therefore, the nonmetrology-grade 3D analysis software may be considered for the deviation measurements of similar restorations.
Clinical Significance:
The trueness of crowns after fabrication may affect their fit, and 3D analysis of trueness prior to the delivery appointment with the tested nonmetrology-grade software after fabrication may facilitate potential clinical adjustments and delivery of the crowns.

