Scan Body Discrepancies in Bone- and Tissue-Level Implants: In Vitro Study.

Area of Science:

• Dental implantology
• Biomaterials science
• Prosthodontics

Background:

• Accurate digital impressions are crucial for dental implant restorations.
• Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) scan bodies offer potential advantages but their precision needs evaluation.
• Understanding torque effects on scan body accuracy is vital for reliable digital workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess horizontal and vertical discrepancies of PEEK scan bodies on bone-level tapered (BLT) and tissue-level (TL) implants.
• To investigate the influence of varying torque levels (5, 10, 15 Ncm) on scan body accuracy.
• To compare the performance of PEEK scan bodies between BLT and TL implant systems.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-eight PEEK scan bodies were placed on BLT and TL implants.
• Subgroups were subjected to 5, 10, and 15 Ncm torque.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for analysis of scan body length and angles.

Main Results:

• TL implants showed significant vertical discrepancies and reduced scan body length with higher torque.
• Horizontal deviation was observed in one angle for TL implants, particularly at lower torque.
• BLT implants exhibited no significant vertical or horizontal differences, except for mesial tilting at 10 Ncm.

Conclusions:

• Tissue-level implants demonstrated significant deviations influenced by torque, with optimal accuracy at ≤ 10 Ncm.
• Both TL and BLT groups experienced some degree of horizontal shift and tilting.
• Torque control is critical for maintaining PEEK scan body accuracy, especially in tissue-level implant systems.