Influence of the bite impression technique on reproducibility of occlusal contacts in working casts for dental implants

Abstract

The bite impression technique has been developed and applied in the fabrication of crowns. However, few reports have demonstrated its accuracy in reproducing the occlusal contacts of implant superstructures. We investigated the bite impression technique for its reproducibility of occlusal contacts on working casts for implants. Eight patients were selected who each had a single-tooth implant to replace a missing posterior tooth. A custom device was created to measure occlusal contacts and their relationship with the opposing teeth and the implant body. Image analysis was used to compare intraoral measurements from working casts made from a bite impression with those from the open tray impression technique.
Good reliability was determined for the measuring device and measurements in this study. We found that the occlusal contact points and areas on the custom measuring device were significantly better for the working casts made from bite impressions than for those from open tray impressions (p<0.001). Furthermore, significant differences were observed in the occlusal contact areas and contact points on both teeth adjacent to the implant (p≦0.001), with the bite impression working casts significantly more reproducible than the open tray impression casts. Our data suggest that the bite impression technique accurately reproduces occlusal contacts for implants.