Abstract:  

Statement of problem: The use of intraoral scanning (IOS) to replace conventional impressions has become popular. However, the learning time required to use these devices effectively is unknown. Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the learning rate, plateau, and difficulty level over repetitive IOS among prosthodontic residents. Material and methods: Twenty participants with no experience of IOS were recruited. Maxillary and mandibular typodont casts were attached to a manikin head. Participants received training on the IOS device (Omnicam; Dentsply Sirona) and performed maxillary, mandibular, and buccal IOS for 9 trials. The time required for scanning (ST) and the perception of difficulty were recorded. The percentage ratio of time for each trial to the best performance was calculated. A nonlinear regression model was used to estimate the learning plateau and rate. Results: The findings for maxillary, mandibular, buccal, and total IOS were as follows: ST: 106 ?40 seconds (69 ?24%), 96 ?34 seconds (68 ?22%), 74 ?31 seconds (65 ?22%), and 276 ?88 seconds (72 ?20%); learning plateau: 83.40%, 80.60%, 74.30%, and 85.10%; learning rate: 5.37, 5.01, 3.81, and 4.98. With repetition of the trials, the difficulty level decreased from 6 to 4. Conclusions: The repetitive use of IOS showed a learning phase of 5 trials to achieve competence of 80% of their best performance. The scanning time and difficulty level decreased with the repetitive use of IOS.