Dental bitewing radiographs segmentation using deep learning-based convolutional neural network algorithms.

Abstract

Dental radiographs, particularly bitewing radiographs, are widely used in dental diagnosis and treatment Dentalimage segmentation is difficult for various reasons, such as intricate structures, low contrast, noise, roughness, andunclear borders, resulting in poor image quality. Recent developments in deep learning models have improvedperformance in analyzing dental images. In this research, our primary objective is to determine the most effectivesegmentation technique for bitewing radiographs based on different metrics: accuracy, training time, and thenumber of training parameters as a reflection of architectural cost. In this research, we employ several deep learning models, namely Resnet-18, Resnet-50, Xception, InceptionResnet v2, and Mobilenetv2, to segment bitewing radiographs. The process begins by importing the radiographsinto MATLAB®(MathWorks Inc), where the images are first improved, then segmented using the graph cut methodbased on regions to produce a binary mask that distinguishes the background from the original X-ray. The deep learning models were trained on 298 and 99 radiograph training and validation sets and were evaluatedusing 99 images from the testing set. We also compare the segmentation model using several criteria, includingaccuracy, speed, and size, to determine which network is superior. Furthermore, we compare our findings with priorresearch to provide a comprehensive understanding of the advancements made in dental image segmentation. Theaccurate segmentation achieved was 93.67% and 94.42% by the Resnet-18 and Resnet-50 models, respectively. This research advances dental image analysis and facilitates more accurate diagnoses and treatment planning bydetermining the best segmentation technique. The outcomes of this study can guide researchers and practitionersin selecting appropriate segmentation methods for practical dental image analysis.