title: Comparison between clinical and digital soft tissue measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of periodontal probes harbors the risk of measurement errors. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the digital determination of gingival recession and papilla height on virtual jaw models, given the hypothesis that they show lower intrarater and interrater variability than conventional linear measurements taken clinically or on cast models.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gingival recessions and papilla heights were measured at 30 sites by five examiners using the following methods: (A) direct measurements using a periodontal probe intraorally or (B) on cast models using a caliper, (C) digital measurements on virtual models obtained by optical scans taken intraorally, or (D) made of cast models using the same software. Measurements were repeated after 1 week and intraclass, intrarater, and interrater correlations of the measurements using the four different methods were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The greatest disagreement between the 1st and 2nd measurement was identified for method A. Recessions were less reliably measured than papillae. The best agreement between methods was found in the digital ones (C and D). Regarding papilla height, increased values were obtained when method D was applied as compared with both clinical evaluations. For gingival recession, method A measured the highest values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study, the use of digital technologies by intraoral scanning or scanning of cast models improved the reproducibility and lowered the variance of measurements within one individual and between different investigators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Providing a more reliable and examiner-independent technique for measurements of the soft tissue architecture could improve data quality in periodontal research and in the analysis of different clinical treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Material Science, Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ender
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Truninger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leutert
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sahrmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmidlin
mesh_terms: D017076:Computer-Aided Design / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004867:Equipment Design; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003765:Models, Dental; D015588:Observer Variation; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010517:Periodontics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013674:Technology, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019237:Tooth Cervix / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014584:User-Computer Interface