Non-Ionized, High-Resolution Measurement of Internal and Marginal Discrepancies of Dental Prosthesis Using Optical Coherence Tomography

An internal and marginal fit between prosthesis and abutment is an important factor of the durability of dental prosthesis. In this paper, we have proposed the use of swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a novel application for non-ionized and high-resolution measurements of internal and marginal discrepancies at anatomically critical four points, such as occlusal, angle, axial, and margin during prosthesis attachment. A tooth model was fabricated by a 3D printing technique, and the dental prosthesis was designed using dental CAD software. The cross-sectional images along with intensity peak profile analysis of the sample were acquired using the OCT system for measurements of fit. The demonstrated qualitative and quantitative evaluations can be well-utilized for assessment of the internal and marginal fit of dental prosthesis.