Intraoral Scanners and Impression Materials: Decision-Making Algorithms

Explore the accuracy, strengths, and limits of intraoral scanners versus conventional impressions in prosthetic dentistry. Learn how trueness, precision, workflow errors, and clinical scenarios—from teeth to implants and edentulous cases—affect outcomes.

This lecture provides a comprehensive overview of intraoral scanners (IOS) and conventional impression materials in prosthetic dentistry, focusing on their accuracy, clinical applicability, and limitations. Starting from the concepts of trueness and precision, the presentation analyzes the main sources of error across analog and digital workflows, including data acquisition, material behavior, and manufacturing processes. Particular attention is given to different clinical scenarios, natural teeth, dental implants, and edentulous patients, highlighting the factors that influence the reliability of each technique and their impact on prosthetic outcomes. 

Learning objectives: 

This course aims at teaching learners how to:

• Analyze the accuracy and limitations of intraoral scanners and conventional impression materials in different clinical conditions.
• Identify key clinical and technical factors influencing the success of digital and analog workflows.
• Provide evidence-based decision-making algorithms for selecting the most appropriate impression technique in daily practice.