Intraoral Scanning Versus Alginate Impressions in Dental Students

NCT07705009 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: H2025/074
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 171
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Dental impressions are used to create a record of a person's teeth and oral structures. Conventional impressions are made using impression material placed in a tray, whereas digital impressions are obtained using an intraoral scanner. This randomized clinical trial compared conventional alginate impressions with digital intraoral scanning using the TRIOS 3 and Medit i700 scanners among dental students aged 18 to 24 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three impression techniques. Each participant underwent recording of both the upper and lower dental arches using the assigned technique. The study primarily compared the chairside time required for each technique and the participants' experience immediately after the procedure. Comfort, nausea, breathing, pain, dry-mouth sensation, perceived procedure speed, overall satisfaction, and preference for conventional or digital impressions were also evaluated.

Conditions

Dental Impression Techniques

Keywords

Intraoral Scanning; Digital Dental Impression; Alginate Impression; Procedure Time; Patient Comfort; Dental Students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Total Chairside Procedure Time

  Total chairside procedure time was measured in seconds using a digital stopwatch and calculated as the sum of the recorded procedural stages. For the conventional alginate group, the stages included maxillary mixing, maxillary impression taking, mandibular mixing, and mandibular impression taking. For the digital groups, the stages included patient and case information entry, maxillary scanning, and mandibular scanning. Bite-registration time was excluded from the total procedure time because there was no equivalent stage in the conventional alginate workflow.

  During the assigned impression procedure at the single study visit

• Patient-Reported Overall Comfort During the Impression Procedure

  Overall comfort during the assigned impression procedure was assessed immediately after the procedure using a 0-to-100 visual analogue scale. Higher scores indicated greater comfort.

  Immediately after completion of the assigned impression procedure

Study Arms (3)

Conventional Alginate Impression

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants underwent maxillary and mandibular conventional impressions using alginate impression material and stock trays according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Procedure: Conventional Alginate Impression

TRIOS 3 Intraoral Scanning

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants underwent full-arch maxillary and mandibular digital impressions and bite registration using the TRIOS 3 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol.

Procedure: TRIOS 3 Intraoral Scanner

Medit i700 Intraoral Scanning

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants underwent full-arch maxillary and mandibular digital impressions and bite registration using the Medit i700 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol.

Procedure: Medit i700 Intraoral Scanner

Interventions

Conventional Alginate Impression PROCEDURE

Maxillary and mandibular conventional impressions were obtained using Tropical alginate impression material and stock trays. The alginate was mixed, placed in the impression tray, and used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Conventional Alginate Impression

TRIOS 3 Intraoral Scanner PROCEDURE

Maxillary and mandibular full-arch digital impressions were obtained using the TRIOS 3 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol. A bite-registration scan was also obtained.

TRIOS 3 Intraoral Scanning

Medit i700 Intraoral Scanner PROCEDURE

Maxillary and mandibular full-arch digital impressions were obtained using the Medit i700 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol. A bite-registration scan was also obtained.

Medit i700 Intraoral Scanning

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Undergraduate dental students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University.
• Aged 18 to 24 years.
• Willing to undergo one maxillary and one mandibular dental impression using the assigned technique.
• Willing and able to complete the study questionnaire.
• Provided written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Currently undergoing orthodontic treatment.
• Presence of a systemic disease or acute condition that limited the ability to cooperate or increased the risk of discomfort during impression taking or intraoral scanning, including an acute respiratory disorder or frequent vomiting.
• Limited mouth opening or an oral and maxillofacial condition that prevented correct impression-tray seating or scanner-tip placement according to the study protocol.
• A maxillofacial abnormality that markedly affected the procedure or caused significant recording distortion.
• An excessive gag reflex that prevented completion of the assigned procedure.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy: lead

Study Sites (1)

Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University

Huế, 530000, Vietnam

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Burzynski JA, Firestone AR, Beck FM, Fields HW Jr, Deguchi T. Comparison of digital intraoral scanners and alginate impressions: Time and patient satisfaction. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2018 Apr;153(4):534-541. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2017.08.017.

  PMID: 29602345 RESULT

Study Officials

• Van Nhat Thang Le, DDS PhD

  Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 10, 2026
• First Posted: July 15, 2026
• Study Start: May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2025
• Study Completion: August 31, 2025
• Last Updated: July 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

VN (1)