AUTOMATED DIGITAL ODONTOMETRIC STUDY OF MANUAL AND COMPUTER-AIDED METHODS OF TOOTH CROWN MODELLING IN DENTISTRY

Abstract

One of the most widely used methods of prosthetic treatment in dentistry is restoration of damaged teeth by artificially fabricated crowns, which, regardless of technological variations, always pass through modelling stage. The main two methods of restoration modelling are traditionally used manual and becoming more advanced and widespread computer-aided, or digital. A similar situation is observed in odontometry – tooth measurements – where manual and digital approaches meet, fuse and new methods, as automated digital odontometry, appear. In this study the measurement method is applied to crowns modelled by different dental technicians on trial basis for teeth, prepared on stone cast model of complete dental arches. The same plaster models, before and after tooth preparations, as well as after modelling tooth crowns manually, were scanned for comparative and modelling (this time using computer-aided techniques) reasons. The obtained 3D images were used for measurements by digital automated odontometry to estimate differences of modelled crowns with initial shape of intact, subjected to experimental preparation and restoration, tooth. Comparisons were made within each, manual and digital, crown modelling groups as well; thus comparisons of proposed on default by professional dental software crown shapes were made, and in line with it the influence of different technicians adjustments on modelling precision was estimated. At the same time the measurement method was tested as well by determining the most characteristic differentiating odontometric parameters for the study, which is held largely due to and on the basis of photogrammetric techniques.