Evaluation of Geometric Occlusal Conditions Based on the Image Analysis of Dental Plaster Models

Abstract

It has been proved that dimensions of the dental arch may change as a result of growth or orthodontic treatment. The most intense transformations can be observed at young age during an occurrence of a mixed dentition period. Based on diagnostic models in a form of plaster casts there is a possibility to measure following features: overbite, overjet, the curve of Spee, arch depth, arch width and Bolton’s ratios. Nowadays computer-aided tools can provide valuable information for dentists or orthodontists and simplify analysis, diagnosis and preparation of a treatment plan. Correct organization of the dental arch in the horizontal plane can be modelled as a parabola for a mandible and as a section of the ellipse for a jaw. A developed system based on the Python programming language provides automated analysis of plaster model images. Proposed methodology includes preprocessing of provided casts’ pictures and segmentation of dental arch using methods such as image morphological operations, edge detection and active contour algorithm. In this research there were also calculated semi-ellipse and parabola fitting functions of dental arches and measured the root mean squared error relative to the original curves. Preliminary results showed 1.29 mm RMSE level for correct occlusion and 2.39 mm in case of malocclusion. Proposed methods can be used for simplifying the analysis of dental arches’ shape and monitoring of changes during orthodontic treatment.