Understanding the Potential of Digital Intraoral and Benchtop Scanning Workflows.

Although the overwhelming majority of dental offices now use digital radiography and patient records, relatively few yet use either stand-alone intraoral scanning systems (6%) or complete systems that combine intraoral scanning with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (12%). This should change as dentists become more aware of the numerous advantages scanning systems offer in terms of patient care and communication of patient information, particularly with the dental laboratory. This article reviews the various types of scanner architecture as well as potential workflow models.