Abstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to examine three methods for imaging a complete denture form and
to discuss the geometric assessment and availability of these methods.
Methods: Three methods were used: cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), desktop dental scanning
(DDS), and handheld optical scanning (HOS). Three sides of a cuboid resin block of a known size were
measured on the captured images. Ten upper and lower complete dentures were digitized using each of
the three methods. The denture forms in the standard triangulated language format were reconstructed
using the computer aided design software with three resolutions: 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0. The two images were
superimposed through a least-square algorithm, and the mean differences were examined among the
three types of imaging methods and resolutions.
Results: The smallest mean differences and variations were obtained for CBCT and DDS, followed by HOS
in the experiment using resin block. The lengths of longitudinal and horizontal sides were shortened
in CBCT and DDS, whereas the height was shortened in HOS. The variations in each direction were very
small by repetitive imaging within every imaging method. The difference between the CBCT and DDS was
significantly smaller than that in the other two groups in experiment using actual dentures. The influence
of resolution was comparatively low.
Conclusions: The results suggested that CBCT and DDS had a similar geometric assessment, but that of
the HOS was lower.
