Dental visualization

Abstract: Een mooi en duidelijk gedocumenteerd boek over mondfotografie, met een focus op Nikon- bodies. De eerste twee hoofdstukken beslaan de relevantie van mondfotografie en de (basis) apparatuur die nodig is voor het uitoefenen daarvan.

Abstract: Root canal treatment (RCT) is one of the standard dental procedures commonly done by dentist throughout the world. It involves removing infected pulp tissue from the tooth's pulp chamber and canals, cleaning and shaping of the root canals, disinfection of the hollow canal, and filling it with “gutta-percha” or root canal sealer. Nonetheless, it is found that many of the RCT procedures fail due to inadequacies like missing of root canal orifices, improper cleaning, or difficulties in locating the orifice. In most of the case, the failure of the treatment leads to persistent pain and secondary infection, which ultimately force the patient to undergo a subsequent RCT or extraction. Several clinical immersion sessions were conducted at MNR Dental College and Hospital and Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences to understand the issues and problem-related to this root canal treatment. They were followed by an online questionnaire survey to gather a broader perspective of medical practitioners. After a year-long study, we were able to identify a few areas where design intervention can lead to the overall improvement of the root canal treatment and also can improve the workflow and comfort of the dentist. This research paper documents and highlights the research to find an unmet clinical need. This research project, though in its nascent stage, has shown great potential and with further research and development can lead to the development of a medical device that helps to improve the efficiency of the root canal treatment.

Abstract: Dental identification is the most valuable method to identify human remains in single cases with major postmortem alterations as well as in mass casualties because of its practicability and demanding reliability. Computed tomography (CT) has been investigated as a supportive tool for forensic identification and has proven to be valuable. It can also scan the dentition of a deceased within minutes. In the present study, we investigated currently used restorative materials using ultra-high-resolution dual-source CT and the extended CT scale for the purpose of a color-encoded, in scale, and artifact-free visualization in 3D volume rendering. In 122 human molars, 220 cavities with 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-mm diameter were prepared. With presently used filling materials (different composites, temporary filling materials, ceramic, and liner), these cavities were restored in six teeth for each material and cavity size (exception amalgam n = 1). The teeth were CT scanned and images reconstructed using an extended CT scale. Filling materials were analyzed in terms of resulting Hounsfield units (HU) and filling size representation within the images. Varying restorative materials showed distinctively differing radiopacities allowing for CT-data-based discrimination. Particularly, ceramic and composite fillings could be differentiated. The HU values were used to generate an updated volume-rendering preset for postmortem extended CT scale data of the dentition to easily visualize the position of restorations, the shape (in scale), and the material used which is color encoded in 3D. The results provide the scientific background for the application of 3D volume rendering to visualize the human dentition for forensic identification purposes.