A new reliable alternate method to an intraoral scanner (in-vitro study)

Abstract

Objective

To propose a method to develop 3-dimensional (3D) models of regular and orthodontic typodonts by using their 2-dimensional (2D) images, as an alternate method to 3D scanners.

Materials and methods

The mandibles of two typodonts, regular occlusion and malocclusion, were scanned by using a 3D scanner to generate their models. Captured scans were used to determine the accuracy of the existing method. One hundred images of each mandible were made by using a smartphone from various angles five times to create required and generate 3D models through the software. The percentage overlap of the hard tissues of the scans and the models superimposed within the group (repeatability test), and with each other (accuracy test) gathered the proposed method's accuracy and precision. The data were analyzed by using the Student's t-test.

Results

Ten scans and ten models were overlapped among themselves and each other and evaluated. Repeatability test; significant overlap in scans for both mandibles (regular and maloccluded), and their 3D model's counterparts (P < 0.05, CI 95%). Accuracy tests; significant overlap between both methods for both mandibles (P < 0.05, CI 95%).

Conclusion

The 2D images were successfully used to model the teeth (both regular and maloccluded) non-invasively. The proposed method showed high reproducibility as well as accuracy when compared to a commercially available 3D scanner.

Clinical significance

The 3D models for both regular teeth and teeth with malocclusions were modeled by using 2D images taken with a smartphone by using the novel method which was both reproducible and accurate.