COMPARISON OF DIGITAL INTEROCCLUSAL RECORD ACCURACY AND OCCLUSAL DISCREPANCY ON TERMINAL ABUTMENT WITH AND WITHOUT PRESERVING VERTICAL STOP AN IN VIVO STUDY

Various studies have determined the accuracy and precision of the use of intraoral scanners (IOS) in clinical practice. However studies on accuracy in reproducing the inter-occlusal contacts in the terminal abutments is scarce. When the posterior most tooth is considered as the abutment for the fabrication of a fixed prosthesis, which is otherwise known as terminal abutment. There are challenges encountered in accurate transfer of the inter occlusal record to the articulator, as there is loss in the tripod configuration to articulate the cast due to improper seating of the condyle and loss of proprioception leading to eccentric contacts. By preserving the distal cusp as a vertical stop in a full coverage preparation, the tripod relation can be achieved.

The intention of this clinical study is to assess the occlusal discrepancy and accuracy of intraoral scanners in recording the inter-occlusal records on a terminal abutment by preserving the centric stop and compare them with the conventional method.