Guided implant scanning: A procedure for improving the accuracy of implant-supported complete-arch fixed dental prostheses

Abstract

This article describes a technique to improve the quality of digital intraoral scans for complete-arch prostheses by correcting the cumulative deviations that may arise with conventional digital methods. The approach involves an additional scan in which a reference-marked rigid splint of known dimensions is used to reduce the likelihood of such deviations. The scanned files are sectioned and best fit aligned to generate a more reliable definitive cast and consequently a better-fitting prosthesis.