Abstract
BackgroundPlaster casts of individual patients are important for orthodontic specialists during the treatment process and their analysis is still a standard diagnostical tool. But the growing capabilities of information technology enable their replacement by digital models obtained by complex scanning systems.MethodThis paper presents the possibility of using a digital camera as a simple instrument to obtain the set of digital images for analysis and evaluation of the treatment using appropriate mathematical tools of image processing. The methods studied in this paper include the segmentation of overlapping dental bodies and the use of different illumination sources to increase the reliability of the separation process. The circular Hough transform, region growing with multiple seed points, and the convex hull detection method are applied to the segmentation of orthodontic plaster cast images to identify dental arch objects and their sizes.ResultsThe proposed algorithm presents the methodology of improving the accuracy of segmentation of dental arch components using combined illumination sources. Dental arch parameters and distances between the canines and premolars for different segmentation methods were used as a measure to compare the results obtained.Conclusion A new method of segmentation of overlapping dental arch components using digital records of illuminated plaster casts provides information with the precision required for orthodontic treatment. The distance between corresponding teeth was evaluated with a mean error of 1.38% and the Dice similarity coefficient of the evaluated dental bodies boundaries reached 0.9436 with a false positive rate FPR=0.0381 and false negative rate FNR=0.0728.
Highlights
Plaster casts of individual patients are important for orthodontic specialists during the treatment process and their analysis is still a standard diagnostical tool
The proposed algorithm presents the methodology of improving the accuracy of segmentation of dental arch components using combined illumination sources
A new method of segmentation of overlapping dental arch components using digital records of illuminated plaster casts provides information with the precision required for orthodontic treatment
Summary
Plaster casts of individual patients are important for orthodontic specialists during the treatment process and their analysis is still a standard diagnostical tool. In the fields of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics, the optimal timing with regard to the patient’s age and skeletal maturity is just as important as identification of the most appropriate treatment process. Depending on his or her actual age, it is critical to identify the growth periods that provide an opportunity to correct the existing dentofacial irregularities while minimizing the potential risks of the orthopedics intervention using dental arch analysis. Digital data can be further improved by the study of their evolution by registration methods in selected regions of interest
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