Quantitative analysis of impression-taking performance - a pilot study to visualize invisible technical steps in dental procedures

Aims: Dental procedures involve intricate techniques that can be challenging to visualize, often hindering imitation and assessment. In this study, the impression-taking performance of abutment teeth was quantitatively analyzed to create objective indexes for dental skill education. Methods: Participants were divided into two groups of different clinical experience levels: 10 dentists and 10 dental students. An aluminum model of abutment teeth was employed to simplify the experiment. An optical motion capture system (VICON, Oxford, UK) measured participants’ movements. The impression accuracy, time length on the analyzed section, impression material pouring speed, total amount of impression material used, and syringe tip trajectory were evaluated. Fisher’s exact test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare the two groups’ results (?=0.05). Results: In the dentist group, there were few apparent failures and a high impression accuracy. The amount of impression material dispensed tended to be larger in the dentist group, with longer practice time and slower syringe movement speed. This suggested that the inexperienced participants were sufficiently unable to pour out the impression material. The syringe tip trajectories were not significantly different between the groups. An instructor’s advice is often limited to abstract feedback; therefore, specific suggestions might assist in effective skill education. Conclusion: It is possible to quantitatively analyze impression-taking performance and provide helpful information for dental skill education by using this system.