Use of digital impression systems with intraoral scanners for fabricating restorations and fixed dental prostheses

Accurate impressions are essential in fabricating dental restorations and fixed dental prostheses. During the last decade, digital impression systems have improved substantially. This review discusses the accuracy of digital impression systems for fabrication of dental restorations and fixed dental prostheses. A literature search in PubMed was performed for the period from July 2010 through June 2017. The search keywords were Cerec, digital impression, direct digitalization, indirect digitalization, and intraoral scanner. Only relevant studies are summarized and discussed in this review. In general, the latest systems have considerably reduced the time required for impression making, and the accuracy and marginal fit of digital impression systems have recently improved. Restorations and fixed dental prostheses fabricated with currently available digital impression systems and intraoral scanners exhibit clinically acceptable ranges of marginal gap in both direct and indirect procedures.