Effect of the scanner type on the marginal gap and internal fit of two monolithic CAD/CAM esthetic crown materials: An in vitro study.

Background: The durability of indirect restorations is significantly influenced by marginal adaptation and internal fit. The use of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) with digital impressions has reduced dental prosthesis fabrication errors, improving the long-term survivability of the restorations.

Objectives: The present study assessed the impact of intraoral and extraoral scanning methods on the marginal adaptation and internal fit of 2 different types of monolithic crowns manufactured using CAD/CAM.

Material and methods: A total of 40 three-dimensional (3D) resin-printed dies were randomly assigned to 2 groups based on the type of crown material (n = 20 per group). Each group was divided into 2 subgroups (n = 10 per group) according to the die-scanning technique: subgroup A, scanned using the intraoral scanner (IOS) Primescan; and subgroup B, scanned using the extraoral scanner (EOS) inEos X5. The digitized photos were converted into a 3D virtual crown design using CAD software. The internal discrepancy values, and the marginal gap between the 3D resin-printed die and the crown were assessed using a ×50 digital microscope. The data was checked for normality with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the tested groups. The collected data was analyzed at a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results: The different scanning techniques used had a statistically significant effect on the vertical marginal gap and the internal fit [μm] (p < 0.05). As far as the crown materials are concerned, BRILLIANT Crios showed a significantly higher marginal gap as compared to Tetric CAD when scanned with inEos X5 (p = 0.004), whereas the differences were insignificant with regard to the internal fit (p > 0.05).The crown parameters tested with both scanning systems were within the clinically acceptable ranges.

Conclusions: Scanning methods and crown materials had an impact on the internal fit and vertical marginal gap of monolithic crowns.