Dentsply Sirona Primescan Review: Is It Worth It?

The short answer: Primescan earns its reputation on accuracy, and the clinical evidence backs that up. Whether it’s worth the investment for your specific practice depends on which model you’re considering, how deep you want to go into the Dentsply Sirona ecosystem, and whether a recurring subscription cost sits comfortably in your overhead. Let’s get into it.

What Is the Primescan Family?

Dentsply Sirona’s Primescan line currently spans three products: the original Primescan, the laptop-based Primescan Connect, and the newest Primescan 2, launched in September 2024. Each targets a slightly different buyer, but all share the same core scanning optics and processing engine.

The original Primescan is the workhorse — a wired, cart-based system suited to high-volume practices that want maximum speed and prefer a dedicated workstation. Primescan Connect offers the same scanner head in a more portable, laptop-driven configuration at a more accessible price point, according to Dentsply Sirona. Primescan 2 is the outlier: it’s wireless and cloud-native, designed to run on any internet-connected device without dedicated hardware.

For digital dentistry workflows, that hardware flexibility is genuinely useful — but it comes with a string attached (more on that below).

Accuracy: What the Research Actually Shows

This is where Primescan has the strongest case. A 2025 umbrella review synthesizing 10 systematic reviews published between 2020 and 2024 found Primescan consistently ranked highest — alongside 3Shape TRIOS 3 — for complete-arch trueness and precision. That’s a meaningful finding because umbrella reviews filter out the noise from individual studies.

At the single-study level, an in vitro full-arch comparison found Primescan and the Medit i700 produced the best combined trueness and precision results. Primescan specifically recorded the best precision values under the third scanning technique tested, at 24.0 ± 2.7 µm (trueness) and 26.8 ± 13.7 µm (precision). A separate 2024 PMC study comparing Primescan against TRIOS 5, Planmeca Emerald S, and Medit i700 confirmed all four exceeded conventional impressions in accuracy — which at this point is table stakes, but still worth knowing for labs still fielding that question from referring clinicians.

One nuance worth flagging: a 2023 Journal of Dentistry study found Primescan accuracy improved significantly at 1,000-lux illumination. If your operatories are running dim overhead lighting, you may not be getting the scanner’s best performance. The researchers recommended introducing a lux meter into routine clinical practice — a low-cost step most practices overlook.

Primescan 2: Cloud-Native, But at a Cost

Primescan 2 is genuinely different from most scanners on the market. Per Dentsply Sirona’s September 2024 press release, it’s positioned as “the world’s first cloud-native intraoral scanning solution,” and the hardware story holds up: no dedicated computer required, runs on any tablet, laptop, or mobile device with internet access. The rechargeable battery covers roughly four scans per charge per battery, which is workable for most operatory setups.

The upside is real. DS Core automatically pushes software updates without manual installs, and it connects directly to Dentsply Sirona’s SureSmile planning platform for clear aligner cases. The workflow from scan to CEREC mill can stay entirely within one ecosystem.

The downside is the subscription dependency. Primescan 2 requires a paid DS Core subscription to function at all. That’s an ongoing operational cost layered on top of the hardware purchase, and it’s a meaningful lock-in consideration. If Dentsply Sirona changes its pricing or platform terms, you’re exposed. Practices that prefer capital purchases with minimal recurring fees should weigh that carefully. It’s also worth noting that the fluorescence and near-infrared 2D imaging features — useful for early caries detection — are currently not available in the USA or Japan, per the manufacturer.

Workflow and Ecosystem Fit

If you’re already running CEREC, Primescan integration is tight. The full Dentsply Sirona stack — Primescan 2, Primemill, Primeprint — supports a same-day restorative workflow with minimal friction, according to the manufacturer. For practices not in that ecosystem, Primescan still exports STL and is validated for inLab, exocad, and 3Shape Dental System, so outside lab compatibility is solid.

Primescan is also validated for Atlantis suprastructures for fixed multiple-unit implant restorations — a specific credential that matters for implant-heavy practices.

Hygiene compliance is handled through three sleeve options, with dry heat sterilization and high-level disinfection both supported. Switching between steel and disposable sleeves requires no recalibration, per the Primescan Connect IFU.

One housekeeping note: Dentsply Sirona is sunsetting the Connect Case Center and migrating users to DS Core. If you’re on an older Primescan workflow, that migration is coming regardless of which product tier you’re on.

Who Should Buy Primescan?

For practices that prioritize documented accuracy, want proven lab software compatibility, and are comfortable within — or want to build — a Dentsply Sirona workflow, Primescan is a genuinely strong choice. The clinical evidence is deeper than most competitors can point to at this volume.

Primescan Connect makes sense if budget is a constraint but you still want the core scanning performance. Primescan 2 is compelling for multi-location groups or practices that want hardware flexibility and don’t mind the subscription model.

If you’re weighing total cost of ownership across scanner options, see our breakdown of intraoral scanner price — the hardware sticker rarely tells the whole story.

For a broader view of how Primescan stacks up against TRIOS, Medit, and others in its class, our Scanners & Imaging coverage compares the full field. The accuracy data favors Primescan, but the right scanner is ultimately the one that fits your workflow, your lab relationships, and your overhead tolerance.