Optical impression method to measure three-dimensional position and orientation of dental implants using an optical tracker

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to devise an optical impression method that could make impressions of dental implants accurately and rapidly. Materials and methods: Four paper markers (4 × 3 mm, 8 × 6 mm, 16 × 12 mm, and 24 × 18 mm) and one titanium marker (8 × 6 mm) were prepared to determine the measuring accuracy of the three-dimensional optical tracker. For a proposed and conventional impression taking method, we compared the reproduction accuracies of the positions and orientations of dental implants and the times to obtain impressions. Finally, we fabricated computer-aided designing (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) superstructure frameworks to determine the adaptation accuracy. Results: The 8 × 6-mm titanium marker was optimal among the prepared markers. Dental implants made by the proposed and conventional impression taking methods had measurement errors of 71 ± 31 μm and 32 ± 18 μm, respectively. The proposed method took a significantly shorter time to obtain an impression than did the conventional method. The connection between the CAD/CAM superstructure frameworks and four implant analogs had uplifts of 55 ± 10 μm, 94 ± 35 μm, 2 ± 1 μm, and 66 ± 3 μm. Conclusion: Our proposed method and fabricated titanium markers enabled us to measure the positions and orientations of dental implants both accurately and rapidly. We then used the reproducible measurement results for the positions and orientations of the dental implants to fabricate CAD/CAM superstructure frameworks within an acceptable accuracy range. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Ono S., Yamaguchi S., Kusumoto N., et al. Optical impression method to measure three-dimensional position and orientation of dental implants using an optical tracker. Clinical Oral Implants Research 24, 1117 (2013), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0501.2012.02519.x.. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving