Performance of fast-setting impression materials in the reproduction of subgingival tooth surfaces without soft tissue retraction.

Fast-setting impression materials may be prone to inaccuracies due to accidental divergence from the recommended mixing protocol. This prospective randomized clinical trial aimed to assess three-dimensional (3D) deviations in the reproduction of subgingival tooth surfaces and to determine the effect of either following or purposely diverging from the recommended mixing procedure for a fast-setting addition-curing silicone (AS) and fast-setting polyether (PE). After three impressions each were taken from 96 participants, sawcut gypsum casts were fabricated with a standardized procedure and then optically digitized. Data were assessed with a computer-aided 3D analysis. For AS impressions, multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant influence of the individual tooth and the degree to which the recommended mixing protocol was violated. For PE impressions, the ambient air temperature and individual tooth showed significant effects, while divergence from the recommended mixing protocol was not of significance. The fast-setting PE material was not affected by changes in the recommended mixing protocol. For the two fast-setting materials examined, no divergences from the recommended mixing protocol of less than 2 minutes led to failures in the reproduction of the subgingival tooth surfaces.