Digital Scanning in Implant Prosthodontics: State of the Art

Background: Accurate impressions are essential for implant-supported prostheses to ensure proper fit, function, and long-term success. Ill-fitting prostheses may lead to biological and technical complications. Objective: This lecture aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of digital scanning techniques in implant prosthodontics and compare their accuracy to conventional impression methods. Content: Digital workflows, including intraoral, extraoral, and photogrammetry-based scanning, utilize CAD/CAM and 3D-printing technologies. Accuracy—assessed as trueness and precision, angular and linear deviations, interimplant distances, and scan-body fit—is the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include the influence of scanner type, implant angulation, and configuration. Evidence from in vitro and clinical studies indicates that digital methods can achieve accuracy comparable to conventional techniques in selected cases. Conclusion: Digital implant scanning is a reliable and precise tool in prosthodontics, offering predictable results for partially and completely edentulous patients and facilitating the fabrication of fixed and removable implant-supported prostheses and surgical guides.