Accuracy of Single-Step versus 2-Step Double-Mix Impression Technique

Objective . To investigate the accuracy of dies obtained from single-step and 2-step double-mix impressions. Material and Methods . Impressions ( n = 10) of a stainless steel die simulating a complete crown preparation were performed using a polyether (Impregum Soft Heavy and Light body) and a vinyl polysiloxane (Perfectim Blue Velvet and Flexi-Velvet) in two consistencies, in one or two (without relief) steps. Accuracy of the stone dies was accessed at a measuring microscope, using a metallic crown with perfect fit to the reference crown preparation. Data were submitted to 2-way ANOVA and Tukey test ( α = 0.05). Results . The single-step technique resulted in slightly larger dies, while the 2-step technique without relief produced significantly smaller dies, when compared to the original stainless steel die. Stone dies obtained from 2-step polyether impressions were significantly smaller when compared to dies obtained from 2-step vinyl polysiloxane impressions (Impregum 2-step: −290.94 ± 71.64  μ m; Perfectim 2-step: −201.86 ± 28.58  μ m). No significant differences were observed in dies obtained from either polyether or vinyl polysiloxane with the single-step technique (Impregum single-step: 63.52 ± 16.60  μ m; Perfectim single-step: 79.40 ± 14.11  μ m). Conclusion . Higher discrepancies were detected for the 2-step impression technique without relief for the investigated materials.