Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2025
Measuring the Complete-arch Distortion of an Optical Dental Impression
Published on: May 30, 2019
Image-guided photogrammetry accuracy: In vitro evaluation of an implant-supported complete arch digital scanning
Alessandro Pozzi1, Lorenzo Arcuri2, Andrea Laureti3
1Professor, Department of Clinical Science and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Restorative Sciences, Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Ga.; and Lecturer, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Mass.
Image-guided photogrammetry (IGP) offers accurate complete arch digital scanning for implant-supported prostheses. This novel technology shows lower deviations than stereophotogrammetry, proving feasible for dental applications.
Area of Science:
- Dental Technology
- Digital Dentistry
- Prosthodontics
Background:
- Complete arch digital scanning for implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) faces accuracy and consistency challenges with current intraoral scanners (IOSs).
- Stereophotogrammetry (SPG) captures implant coordinates but lacks patient anatomy correlation, with limited comparative data against IOSs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a novel image-guided photogrammetry (IGP) navigation technology for complete arch digital scanning.
- To assess an artificial intelligence (AI) driven workflow for superimposing implant coordinates onto preoperative patient data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized complete arch casts with 4 and 6 implants for in vitro digital scanning using IGP and a coordinate measuring machine (CMM).
- Generated standard tessellation language (STL) files, superimposed them using a best-fit algorithm, and calculated linear (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ) and angular (ΔANGLE) deviations.
- Measured 3D deviation (ΔEUC) and statistically analyzed accuracy based on implant number and position.
Main Results:
- IGP technology captured 126 implant positions with mean 3D deviations (ΔEUC) of 43.02 ±26.24 µm and angular deviations (ΔANGLE) of 0.43 ±0.22 degrees.
- Four-implant casts demonstrated significantly lower deviations (ΔEUC, P=.017; ΔANGLE, P=.003) compared to six-implant casts.
- Anterior implants in six-implant casts showed higher angular deviations (P=.009), while other positions were comparable.
Conclusions:
- Image-guided photogrammetry (IGP) is a feasible technique for complete arch digital scanning of implant-supported prostheses, yielding deviations lower than conventional SPG.
- The 4-implant casts were more accurate, with linear deviations near 0 µm and angular deviations around 0.4 degrees.
- Further clinical trials are necessary to validate the performance of IGP technology in real-world patient scenarios.
