Accuracy of Three Different Strategies for Virtual Interocclusal Registration: An In Vitro Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of three different strategies for virtual interocclusal registration in a fully dentate in vitro model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three strategies for virtual interocclusal registration were compared: bilateral buccal registration, unilateral buccal registration, and anterior registration. For this purpose, two fully dentate resin models articulated using average-value settings were digitized 15 times per strategy using three different intraoral scanners. Accuracy was evaluated by superimposition of the intraoral scans with a virtual reference file generated using an industrial high-precision scanner. RESULTS: Regardless of the intraoral scanner used, bilateral buccal registration demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in terms of mean deviation across the entire dental arch compared with the other two strategies. No consistent trend was observed between unilateral buccal and anterior registration. For both unilateral buccal and anterior registration, a decrease in precision was observed with increasing distance from the registration site. CONCLUSIONS: In fully dentate patients, bilateral buccal registration provides the highest accuracy for maxillomandibular alignment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A precise determination of the maxillomandibular relationship is essential in restorative and esthetic dentistry to ensure accurate model analysis, treatment planning, and fabrication of restorations.