Implantation is one of the most complicated procedures in dentistry, and it involves many medical nuances. The correctly placed implant is crucial for successful operation, and dentists need to examine this aspect exceptionally carefully to ensure its position will not cause problems in the future.
The traditional approach includes pre-planned and post-surgery post-placement cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans that expose patients' organisms to harmful radiation. Also, this technique often does not have optimal clinical accuracy and is limited to scanner resolution.
Instead, a novel approach – presented by scientists from the University of Leeds – offers a methodology based on comparing STL files of pre-planned and post-placement implant positions.
How it works?
Such a technique uses special computer-aided design software to analyze the dental implant positioning in the jaw after the operation. Then, the program compares the received data with the implant's "original" STL and forms a report that includes the list of placed implants' deviations with apical and coronal midpoints and other significant key points.
This technique is called pose detection, and similar technology is widely used in modern cinema and known as motion capture.
Currently, this approach exists in the form of a prototype but has already shown prospective results. Such technology eliminates the need to use common scanners with radiation, providing much more detailed results for dentist examinations.
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