Dedicated Photogrammetry Beat a Smartphone System on Full-Arch Implant Scan Accuracy

Edited by Dentaltown staff

A dedicated intraoral photogrammetry system recorded complete-arch implant positions more accurately and in less chairside time than a mobile-phone-based alternative, though both produced reliable recordings, according to a randomized crossover clinical study published Sept. 17 in the Journal of Dentistry.

Twenty-four completely edentulous patients with six implants supporting multiunit abutments in the maxillary arch were enrolled. Each patient was scanned with both workflows, so each served as their own control.

Investigators compared an intraoral photogrammetry system, the Elite from Shining 3D, against a mobile-phone-based system, the T-Marker from TruAbutment. A conventional open-tray splinted impression was digitized to generate the reference scan against which both were measured.

The dedicated system showed significantly greater linear and angular trueness and required less chairside scanning time, at P less than .001 for each comparison.

The authors nonetheless concluded that both workflows provided reliable recordings of complete-arch implant positions. They described the dedicated system as preferable when maximum prosthetic accuracy is the priority, and the phone-based workflow as a clinically acceptable and more accessible option where dedicated equipment is unavailable.

Researchers at Mansoura University in Egypt led the study, with colleagues at Alasmarya Islamic University in Libya and Menoufia University in Egypt. Groups were compared using a paired t-test.

The study enrolled 24 patients at a single center and measured trueness against a conventional splinted impression rather than an independent industrial reference. The abstract does not report the magnitude of the linear and angular differences, only that they reached significance.

Sources:
Journal of Dentistry, “Accuracy of complete-arch implant scans obtained using intraoral photogrammetry and a mobile-phone based photogrammetry system (T-Marker): A randomized crossover clinical study,” published online Sept. 17, 2026: doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2026.107046
PubMed record, PMID 42753856: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42753856