Could digital workflow replace the conventional? A narrative review

Abstract

In the last ten years, digital technologies have conditioned our lives in many ways. Also, in dentistry, new inventions changed our working routine, accompanying the clinician from the analogic epoch to the digital. A fully digital workflow seems to be very promising in terms of less discomfort for the patients and less time needed to make an impression than the traditional method. However, many aspects still need to be investigated, such as the procedure’s complexity, the optical impression’s reliability, the precision of the CAD-CAM-made crown, the costs, and the time needed to deliver a final crown. This review aims to understand, analyzing some RCT studies, whether a digital workflow is reliable compared to the analogic.