A Paradigm Shift Using Scan Bodies to Record the Position of a Complete Arch of Implants in a Digital Workflow

The use of conventional scan bodies (SBs) with an intraoral scanner (IOS) to capture the position of a complete arch of dental implants has proven to be challenging. The literature is unclear about the accuracy of intraoral scanning techniques using SBs that are connected vertically to multiunit abutments (MUAs) for numerous adjacent implants in the same arch. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift from vertical SBs to horizontal SBs, which are positioned perpendicular to the long axis of the MUAs. Most IOSs available today can capture these horizontal SBs, called scan gauges (SGs), with better accuracy and consequently acquire the position of multiple adjacent implants using an effective scan path, thus reducing stitching and the number of images. The key to implementing this novel technology is to strategically arrange the SGs to optimize horizontal overlap of multiple adjacent SGs without touching each other. By superimposing two high-resolution intraoral scans of the SGs, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is employed to produce a calibrated digital best-fit model on which a passive complete-arch prosthesis can be designed and fabricated. The advantages and disadvantages of SBs and SGs are discussed, and a case report using a digital workflow is presented.