Assessing the Influence of Implant Scan Body Material on Desktop Scanner Accuracy: An In Vitro Study

There are limited studies analyzing the accuracy of desktop scanners with scan bodies made of different materials but of the same design. The purpose of this in vitro study is to examine the effect of scan bodies made of titanium and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) on the accuracy of desktop scanners that have different scanning technologies (white light vs blue light). Two upper jaw models with a missing left second premolar were obtained. An implant (Bilimplant) was placed in the area where the missing tooth was located. The titanium and PEEK scan bodies were torqued, and an industrial scanner obtained reference data. A total of 40 scans were recorded using two desktop scanners (Dentium and Kivi). Ti-Dentium, Ti-Kivi, PEEK-Dentium, and PEEK-Kivi were identified as the four test groups. Each STL file was imported into Geomagic for reverse engineering. The deviation between the experimental scan and the reference data was analyzed using a best-fit algorithm to determine the accuracy of each scan. Deviation values were compared using nonparametric tests. The average deviation values ± standard deviation observed across the groups were 65 ± 4.5 μm, 81 ± 3.1 μm, 24 ± 5.4 μm, and 47 ± 9.1 μm, respectively. Group Ti-K exhibited the highest average deviation, whereas Group PEEK-D demonstrated the lowest. A statistically significant difference was found between all groups (P < .05). Within the limitations of this in vitro study, PEEK scan bodies and white light scanners demonstrated superior accuracy, which may be clinically relevant in high-precision implant restorations.