title: Comparison of experience curves between two 3-dimensional intraoral scanners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conventional impression-making methods are being replaced by intraoral digital scanning. How long dental professionals take to master the new technologies is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this human subject study was to compare the experience curves of 2 intraoral scanners among dental hygienists and determine whether repeated scanning experience could change the scan time (ST).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 29 dental hygienists with more than 3 years of working experience were recruited (group 1: 3-5 years; group 2: >6 years of clinical experience) to learn the iTero and Trios systems. All learners scanned the oral cavities of 4 human participants (participants A, B, C, and D) 10 times (T1-T10) throughout the learning sessions and the experimental dentoform model twice at the beginning and end of the 10 sessions. ST was measured, and changes in ST were compared between the 2 devices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average ST for 10 sessions was greater with iTero than with Trios, but the decrease in the measured ST was greater for iTero than for Trios. Baseline and postexperience STs with iTero showed statistically significant differences, with a decrease in time related to the clinical experience levels of the dental hygienists (group 1: T2 and T4, P<.01; group 2: T2 and T5, P<.01). The experience curve with iTero was not influenced by the human participant's intraoral characteristics, and greater ST was shown for participants B and C than for participants A and D with Trios.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the learning rate of iTero was rapid, the average ST for iTero was longer than Trios, and clinical experience levels influenced the operator's ability to manipulate the device. In contrast, the learning rate of Trios was slow, and measured ST was shorter than iTero, and was not influenced by clinical experience.
authors.affiliation: Graduate student, Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jisun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University Gwanak Dental Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Electronic address: jimarn@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ji-Man
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Minji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Joo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Medical Statistics, Catholic University of Daegu, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Im Hee
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Resident, Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Miae
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D003761:Dental Impression Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D059032:Learning Curve; D003765:Models, Dental; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed