Automated detection of anterior crossbite on intraoral images and videos utilizing deep learning.

Aim: Malocclusion has emerged as a burgeoning global public health concern. Individuals with an anterior crossbite face an elevated risk of exhibiting characteristics such as a concave facial profile, negative overjet, and poor masticatory efficiency. In response to this issue, we proposed a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model designed for the automated detection and classification of intraoral images and videos.

Materials and methods: A total of 1865 intraoral images were included in this study, 1493 (80%) of which were allocated for training and 372 (20%) for testing the CNN. Additionally, we tested the models on 10 videos, spanning a cumulative duration of 124 seconds. To assess the performance of our predictions, metrics including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1-score, area under the precision-recall (AUPR) curve, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) were employed.

Results: The trained model exhibited commendable classification performance, achieving an accuracy of 0.965 and an AUC of 0.986. Moreover, it demonstrated superior specificity (0.992 vs. 0.978 and 0.956, P < 0.05) in comparison to assessments by two orthodontists. Conversely, the CNN model displayed diminished sensitivity (0.89 vs. 0.96 and 0.92, P < 0.05) relative to the orthodontists. Notably, the CNN model accomplished a perfect classification rate, successfully identifying 100% of the videos in the test set.

Conclusion: The deep learning (DL) model exhibited remarkable classification accuracy in identifying anterior crossbite through both intraoral images and videos. This proficiency holds the potential to expedite the detection of severe malocclusions, facilitating timely classification for appropriate treatment and, consequently, mitigating the risk of complications.