Evaluation of near-field communication technology for labeling dental ceramic crowns: An in-vitro pilot study

NFC (near-field communication) technology for labeling of dental ceramic crowns through tagging may offer a versatile, contactless, and digital solution for prosthesis and patient identification.

To evaluate the technological feasibility of labeling dental ceramic crowns with NFC tagging using surface marking, and to evaluate the durability and readability of the tagged crowns during dental laboratory disinfection.

This in-vitro pilot study consisted of two phases. In the technological phase, surface marking was done using the NTAG213 NFC tag (JAKCOM N3 Smart nail chip) to fabricate NFC-tagged ceramic crowns. An NFC-compatible smartphone was used as the NFC reader to evaluate the tag readability. In the experimental phase, the durability and readability of the tagged crowns were evaluated after dental laboratory disinfection. The data were expressed in frequencies and percentages. McNemar's test was used for statistical analysis.

NFC-tagged ceramic crowns (n = 20), comprising 10 all ceramic and 10 metal ceramic crowns, were fabricated using surface marking. The NFC tags remained fully readable post-application. The absence of visible damages, discoloration of the crowns, or delamination of the tag indicated that disinfection did not affect the durability of the tagged ceramic crowns. The NFC tags maintained 100% readability with no statistically significant difference before and after disinfection (t-statistic = 0 and p-value = 1.0).

An innovative and simple labeling of dental ceramic crowns was developed using surface marking to fabricate NFC-tagged ceramic crowns. Their demonstrated durability and readability during dental laboratory disinfection highlights the potential of this technology for clinical and forensic applications. However, this study evaluates resistance to specific disinfection protocols rather than long-term durability under extended clinical use.