COMPARISON OF DIGITAL AND CONVENTIONAL IMPRESSION TECHNIQUES IN TERMS OF COMFORT, TIME AND ACCURACY IN CHILDREN AGED 7 TO 9 YEARS -A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Background: Alginate impression material, a commonly used hydrocolloid in dentistry, offers accurate and cost-effective molds suitable for various applications, including study models and diagnostic casts. However, the advent of digital impression technology has transformed the field, moving from traditional alginate and silicone molds to precise digital scans. Aim: To compare digital and conventional impression techniques in terms of comfort, time and accuracy in children aged 7 to 9 years. Design: 50 children based on inclusion criteria were randomly divided into two groups:Group 1(alginate impression ) Group 2 (digital impression iScan Pro intraoral scanner) .For each method, comfort levels, the time taken, and accuracy were assessed. The Mann-Whitney U Test was used for statistical analysis, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Digital impressions took less time (p<0.001) compared to conventional impressions. However, there was no significant difference in comfort levels and accuracy between the twogroups . Conclusion: Digital impression required less time when compared to alginate impression method., but there was no difference in terms of comfort and accuracy in measurements.