Accuracy of digitally coded healing abutments: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Prosthodontics
• Digital Dentistry

Background:

• Accurate dental implant impressions are crucial for successful prosthetic restorations.
• Conventional impression techniques can be challenging with multiple, non-parallel implants.
• Digitally coded healing abutments (CHAs) offer a novel approach for digital workflow integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the in vitro accuracy of dental implant impressions using CHAs.
• To compare CHA impression accuracy with conventional impression (CI) techniques.
• To assess the influence of angulation and height on CHA impression accuracy within the CHA group.

Main Methods:

• Systematic electronic search of multiple databases (MedLine, PubMed, Google Scholar, etc.) from January 2010 to November 2022.
• Inclusion of 7 studies comparing CHA impressions (elastomeric and intraoral scan) with CI or analyzing CHA accuracy at varying angulations.
• Data categorized into Group A (elastomeric CHA impression) and Group B (CHA + Intraoral scanner).

Main Results:

• Elastomeric impressions of CHAs demonstrated lower accuracy compared to conventional impressions for multiple implants.
• Intraoral scanning of CHAs appeared to yield higher accuracy than elastomeric CHA impressions.
• Within the CHA group, abutment angulation and visible height significantly impacted impression accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Intraoral scanning of CHAs shows promise for improving dental implant impression accuracy.
• Elastomeric CHA impressions are less reliable for multiple non-parallel implants compared to conventional methods.
• Further research is necessary to establish CHAs as a reliable option for all non-parallel, multiple implant-supported restorations.