Reliabilty of recording occlusal contacts by using intraoral scanner and articulating paper - A prospective study

Objective: The recording of occlusal contacts is a pivotal step in many dental procedures, yet the lack of a standardized method could introduce clinical errors. The aim of this study was to compare the occlusal contacts recorded using a intraoral scanner to the contacts recorded using articulating paper. As a secondary outcome, the subjective clinical assessment made using the two methods was compared between different observers. Methods: Twenty-eight records were analysed for this study. Digital scan and intraoral photos of the coloured marks impressed by articulating paper were taken at the same time point for every patient. Using a standardized occlusal template, two operators recorded the number of occlusal contacts for every tooth provided by the two techniques. Then, 11 clinicians analysed the collected records and answered questions about the quality of the occlusions observed. Results: The statistical analysis showed significant differences between the number of contacts recorded by digital scan and those recorded by the photographed articulation marks, except in the case of the upper central incisors and first premolars. The Kappa Fleiss showed slight and fair agreement between clinicians when judging the occlusions. Conclusion: The occlusal contacts recorded using the intraoral scanner and those recorded with the articulating paper did not match, and overall the clinicians showed low agreement when rating the recorded data. Clinical significance: Despite of the great clinical importance of occlusal contact there is a lack of a precise method for recording and collecting occlusal contacts.