Accuracy is essential within many fields of dentistry. From fitting fixed prostheses that are properly functional to placing prosthetically-driven implants, accuracy supports treatment success and is therefore important for all practitioners to achieve.
Besides treatment benefits, improving upon the accuracy of their work can help dental laboratory technicians develop positive relationships with practitioners, with enhanced communication enabling better treatment results. By doing so, greater patient satisfaction and streamlined professional workflows can be ensured.
Getting it right
With regards to dental impressions, there are two components to accuracy: precision and trueness. Precision describes the symmetry of repeated measurements whilst trueness encapsulates how close the measurements are to the real dimensions of the measured structures.[i] The accuracy of impressions is affected by numerous factors in dentistry, such as the occlusion type of the patient and tooth placement.
Steep inclines to the oral and buccal aspect of the mouth have a lower repeatability as well, leading to inaccuracy when stitching large objects together, such as full arch scans.[ii] This can make it difficult for technicians who receive the scans to effectively fabricate the needed prostheses. Highly accurate models and prosthetics are only made possible with optimal scanning methods in the practice and first-class work in the laboratory. It is, therefore, essential that labs hire skilful technicians and give them access to high-quality master model materials, such as addition-cured duplicating silicone, to attain accurate results.[iii]
Technological trust
Technological developments in dentistry have further helped secure accurate treatment workflows and outcomes. For instance, AI can assist dental technicians by analysing digital dental impressions, generating customised designs and providing instructions for automated milling or 3D printing of the prosthetics.[iv] By improving accuracy, high quality technologies reduce the need for restorative adjustments, boosting the relationship between the technician and the practitioner, and also the overall patient experience.[v]
New technologies can improve the laboratory management system too, promoting a fair workload that doesn’t overload technicians. This can lessen the chance of systematic errors and increase the overall quality of work, creating job satisfaction and a stronger inter-professional relationship with peers.[vi]
Crossing streams
Effective communication between members of the dental team is vital for the delivery of excellent and accurate patient care. The British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry guidelines decree that ‘restorative work involving technical procedures requires a close relationship between clinician and technician.’[vii] Any disruption in communication can have consequences for treatment success, potentially leading to a negative experience for the patient.
For all laboratory work, dental technicians must receive as much detail as the practitioner can provide. Minimal information, which many technicians feel they often receive, impacts workflow and the quality of results. In the case of veneer fabrication, technicians have emphasised the need for extra- and intra-oral pre-treatment photographs and precise jaw relation records to optimise their work.vi But miscommunication between the two professions is a globally recognised issue.vi
Studies have shown that 25% of dental technicians experienced a lack of involvement in the dental team, and only 31% felt they played an integral role in prosthesis fabrication.vi This miscommunication or feeling of isolation can stem from an uncertainty as to the job parameters: 61% of prosthodontic specialists felt that clinicians had the lead role in treating patients with fixed-implant prostheses.vi
Some clinicians will be guided regarding choice of materials for the prosthesis by the technician – provided the patient’s wishes are fulfilled, of course. Encouraging efficient communication can improve this process and promote better patient care, as complications such as inadequate prescriptions, substandard impressions and missing dental records can be avoided.vi
Getting that accurate result
Alongside clear communications with the practitioner, having effective solutions in the laboratory ensures that technicians are able to produce the best customisable prostheses. For an addition-cured duplicating system that can meet all laboratory needs, consider Kemsil Duplicating silicone from Kemdent. Simple and reliable, mixing equal amounts of Kemsil A + B is all that is required – no messy activator needed. With an added wetting agent, Kemsil Duplicating silicone provides fantastic precision and stability, ideal for the accurate duplication of master models.
Accuracy is a cornerstone of dentistry, providing long-lasting treatments for maximum patient satisfaction. By using the latest innovations for optimum accuracy, it connects the laboratory technician with both patient and practitioner so that the practice runs smoothly and to its highest ability.
For more information about the leading solutions available from Kemdent, please visit www.kemdent.co.uk or call 01793 770 256
[i] Husein, H.A., Morad, Mhd.L. and Kanout, S. (2022). Accuracy of Conventional and Digital Methods of Obtaining Full-Arch Dental Impression (In Vitro Study). Cureus. doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29055
[ii] Ender, A. and Mehl, A. (2014). Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision. Journal of Visualized Experiments, (86). doi:https://doi.org/10.3791/51374
[iii] Bin-Shuwaish, M.S., AlFawaz, Y.F., Hamad Algamaiah, AlSani, A.S., Abobakr, I.B., Alzahrani, K.M., Almutairi, B., Attar, E., Vohra, F. and Abduljabbar, T. (2021). Technical Accuracy of Dental Laboratories in the Quality and Shade Matching of Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns: An In Vitro Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, [online] 18(5), pp.2722–2722. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052722.
[iv] Lin, Yin Sim Ng, Ghani, A. and Kah Hoay Chua (2023). Revolutionising dental technologies: a qualitative study on dental technicians’ perceptions of Artificial intelligence integration. BMC Oral Health, 23(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-023-03389-x.
[v] Emam, A.-N.M., El-Esawy, A.A., Alyami, M.H., Baraka, Y., Gad, M.M. and Helal, M.A. (2024). Effect of Duplication Techniques on the Fitting Accuracy of CAD-CAM Milled, 3D-Printed, and Injection-Molded Mandibular Complete Denture Bases. Dentistry Journal, [online] 12(2), p.32. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/dj12020032
[vi] Ismail, E.H. and Dalya Al-Moghrabi (2023). Interrelationship between dental clinicians and laboratory technicians: a qualitative study. BMC Oral Health, 23(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-023-03395-z.
[vii] Barsby M J, Johnson, A, Welfare R D, Winstanley R M. Guides to standards in prosthetic dentistry – complete and partial dentures. London: British Society for the Study of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2005. www.bsspd.org.
