Digital Occlusion Analysis after Orthodontic Treatment: Capabilities of the Intraoral Scanner and T-Scan Novus System

Abstract

Digital technology is becoming increasingly popular in dentistry. The aim of this article is to demonstrate and compare the capabilities of two different digital approaches, namely, intraoral scanning and digital examination of occlusion, in the final analysis of occlusion after orthodontic treatment. The capabilities and limitations of both systems are emphasized to help clinicians determine which system to use in specific cases. Materials and methods: The study included 32 patients (15 males and 17 females) in the retention phase after orthodontic treatment. Patients were aged 15 to 28 years with a mean age of 18.62 years (±4.17), and 62.2% were aged under 18 years. At the beginning of the orthodontic treatment, 18 patients had Angle Class I and 14 had Angle Class II. Overall, 18 patients were treated without extractions and 14 with extractions, while 12 had impacted teeth. All patients wore an Essix retainer in the upper jaw and a fixed canine-to-canine retainer in the lower jaw. Intraoral scanning was performed using Trios color (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2014), and digital occlusion imaging was performed using T-Scan Novus (Tekscan, Norwood, MA, USA, 2018). SPSS 23.0 was used to perform descriptive statistical analysis. Result and Conclusion: With the 3Shape system, the contacts are marked based on the proximity between dentitions. The T-Scan system measures the strength of the contacts, regardless of their area. Despite its many advantages, intraoral scanning is not a reliable method for recording occlusions. The results obtained are not incorrect, but they include limited parameters for analysis. The T-Scan system provides comprehensive results and allows analysis and treatment of occlusal dysfunctions. The T-Scan system can provide information on the first contact, strength of the contacts, contact distribution on each tooth, sequence of contacts, maximum bite force and maximum intercuspation, path of the lower jaw movement, and occlusion and disocclusion times as well as record videos with active sequences and distributions of the contacts. There is a good collaboration between intraoral scanning and digital occlusion determination.