Influence of limited mouth opening in children on intraoral scanning accuracy: An in vitro study

Background: Although intraoral scanning is highly reliable, little is known about its accuracy in young children with limited mouth-opening ability. Aim: To determine the accuracy of intraoral scans based on the degree of mouth opening. Design: To simulate mouth opening in children with primary dentition, three groups (n = 5 per group) were allocated by maximum mouth opening of 30, 37 and 40 mm. After the primary dentition model was connected to a dental phantom, intraoral scanning was performed using iTero and TRIOS4. The scanned files were digitally evaluated. Root mean square values were calculated to assess trueness and precision. Results: iTero showed deviations of three-dimensional trueness of 0.067 +/- 0.008, 0.063 +/- 0.001 and 0.065 +/- 0.005 mm, and TRIOS4 of 0.07 +/- 0.002, 0.064 +/- 0.003 and 0.066 +/- 0.002 mm in the 30, 37 and 40 mm groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in either mouth opening (p > .017) or the intraoral scanners (p > .05). The same statistical results were obtained for precision, with the exception of the 30 mm of mouth opening. Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, limited mouth opening hardly influenced the accuracy of intraoral scanning.