Awareness and perceptions of dental students regarding intraoral scanners and their potential to replace conventional impression techniques in prosthodontics: A cross-sectional survey

Background: The increasing adoption of digital dentistry has introduced intraoral scanners (IOSs) as an alternative to conventional impression techniques. Although IOS technology offers potential advantages related to patient comfort, workflow efficiency, digital data storage, and communication, its successful integration into prosthodontic practice depends partly on the awareness and perceptions of future dental professionals.Aims and Objectives: To assess the awareness, knowledge-related perceptions, and attitudes of dental students regarding intraoral scanners and their potential to replace conventional impression techniques in prosthodontics.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among dental students using an electronically administered structured questionnaire consisting of 25 closed-ended questions concerning awareness, exposure, applications, perceived advantages and limitations, clinical applications, and the future role of IOS technology. The questionnaire was distributed through Google Forms. A total of 96 responses were obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as frequencies and percentages. Because the collected dataset did not contain demographic or academic-year grouping variables, subgroup comparative analysis was not performed.Conclusion: The present cross-sectional survey demonstrated a high level of awareness of intraoral scanners among the surveyed dental students, with 87.5% reporting awareness of IOS technology. However, practical exposure was comparatively limited, with only 12.5% reporting actual use of an IOS for a patient.