ACCURACY, CLINICAL EFFICIENCY, AND PATIENT PERCEPTION OF DIGITAL VERSUS CONVENTIONAL IMPRESSIONS: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64668/rccss.v2i291102Keywords:
Dental Technology, Dental Impression Technique, Patient Satisfaction, Dimensional Measurement Accuracy, Dental ImplantsAbstract
Objective: To conduct an integrative literature review of the last 10 years to compare trueness, precision, clinical efficiency, and patient perception between digital workflows and conventional techniques. Methodology: An exhaustive bibliographic search was conducted, selecting 50 studies with verified traceability (DOI), limiting the time range to 2015-2025 to ensure technological currency. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched (January 2016 - December 2025). Search strategy with MeSH terms included: "Dental Impression Technique", "Intraoral Scanner", "Dimensional Measurement Accuracy", and "Patient Satisfaction". Results: Current evidence indicates that IOS offer comparable or superior accuracy in single and partial restorations. In full-arch rehabilitations, although new algorithms have improved trueness, the conventional technique maintains advantages in complex edentulism situations. Clinical efficiency and patient preference overwhelmingly favor the digital workflow. Conclusion: Digital impression is the preferred standard for most restorative procedures due to its balance of accuracy, efficiency, and comfort, with conventional techniques being reserved for specific cases of high biomechanical complexity.
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