A Comparison of Conventional Versus Digital PAR (Peer Assessment Rating) Scores Using an Intraoral Scanner

In dentistry, Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) is an objective way of quantifying how maligned a patient's teeth are by scoring orthodontic study models. It can also be used to assess treatment outcome by comparing pre- and post-treatment scores. Traditionally, PAR scoring is performed manually on plaster casts by a trained and calibrated individual. The plaster casts consume considerable amounts of storage space and the process of manual scoring can be time consuming and expensive. The recent decades have seen a rise in popularity of intra oral scanners in dentistry to produce digital study models. These obviate the need for physical storage space and a software can be used to calculate PAR scores more conveniently and at a faster speed. A review of the current literature showed that the CS 3600 intra oral scanner by Carestream Dental demonstrated acceptable accuracy for clinical use. In this study, patients will receive the usual impressions and their moulds will be PAR scored manually (usual care pathway). In addition, they will also receive intra oral scans with Carestream 3600 and the digital models will be scored by a computer. Manual and digital scores will be compared and analysed for any significant discrepancies.