ORTHODONTICS
Original Article
ARE DENTAL MEASUREMENTS TAKEN ON PLASTER CASTS COMPARABLE TO THOSE TAKEN FROM CBCT IMAGES AND LASER SCANNED SURFACES ?
Luca Pisoni 1a , Marina Codari 2b , Simone Galli 1c , Francesca M . E . Rusconi 1d , Gianluca Martino Tartaglia 1e , Valentina Pucciarelli 1f , Chiarella Sforza 1g *
1
LAFAS , Laboratory of Functional Anatomy of the Stomatognathic System , Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health , University of Milan , Milan , Italy
2
Unit of Radiology , IRCCS Policlinico San Donato , Via Morandi 30 , San Donato Milanese , 20097 Milan , Italy .
a , e
DDS , PhD b
MSBE , PhD c
CDT d
DDS f
MBiothec , PhD g
MD , PhD , Head
ABSTRACT DOI : 10.25241 / stomaeduj . 2018.5 ( 1 ). art . 4
Introduction : Intraoral scanning techniques , laser scans and cone-beam computed tomography ( CBCT ) are becoming widely diffused in dental practice . These instruments can replace dental plaster casts with digital models ; recent investigations have found that measurements taken on digital models do not differ clinically from those obtained on CBCT scans and physical models , but only intra-examiner reliability has been assessed . In the current study we tested both intra- and inter-examiner variations , together with intertechniques reliability . Methodology : Data from six adult subjects were retrospectively obtained . Twelve dental distances were measured on dental plaster casts using a digital calliper ; on digital 3D CBCT images using inVivoDental software ( Anatomage , San Jose , CA ); and on laser scanned surfaces using Mirror Vectra Software ( Canfield Scientific , Fairfield , NJ ). Two different operators performed all measurements twice . Bland-Altman analysis , Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were used for comparisons . Results : The intra- and inter-operator biases range was 0-0.34 mm . The reproducibility range was 72-99 %. The three different techniques gave very similar measurements , with biases between ± 0.1 mm . Reproducibility ranged between 90 and 100 %; the best reproducibility coefficients were found between plaster and digital casts , and only three differences were larger than 0.5 mm . Calliper measurements slightly overestimated digital casts values . Only the mesiodistal distance of tooth 24 ( p = 0.002 ) was significantly different among techniques . Conclusion : Measurements on digital dental models and CBCT reconstructions of the dental arches seem clinically reliable as direct calliper measurements . The inter- and intra-operator reliabilities were acceptable , some more care may be needed for CBCT measurements . Keywords : teeth , laser scan , cone beam computerised tomography .
OPEN ACCESS This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license .
Peer-Reviewed Article
Citation : Pisoni L , Codari M , Galli S , Rusconi FME , Tartaglia GM , Pucciarelli V , Sforza C . Are dental measurements taken on plaster casts comparable to those taken from CBCT images and laser scanned surfaces ? Stoma Edu J . 2018 ; 5 ( 1 ): 38-42 .
Academic Editor : Lidia Boboc , DDS , PhD , Associate Professor , “ Carol Davila ” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest , Romania
Received : December 23 , 2017 Revised : February 09 , 2018 Acccepted : March 01 , 2018 Published : March 03 , 2018
* Corresponding author : Professor Chiarella Sforza , MD , PhD , Head Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health , University of Milan , Milan , Italyvia Mangiagalli 31 , I-20133 Milano , Italy Tel : + 39 – 02 503 15385 , Fax : + 39 – 02 503 15387 , e-mail : chiarella . sforza @ unimi . it
Copyright : © 2018 the Editorial Council for the Stomatology Edu Journal .
1 . Introduction New technologies like scanning techniques , conebeam computerised tomography ( CBCT ) and three dimensional imaging are becoming more and more used in all branches of dental practice ( conservative , prosthodontics , surgery and orthodontics ). Among the other applications , these devices can replace dental plaster casts with digital models possessing several advantages : easy storage , no necessary physical space , no damages during handling , and easy data share with other professionals [ 1-9 ]. CBCT , in particular , gives a 3D representation of the cranio-facial and dental structures and has already several indications in clinical routine : oral and maxillofacial surgery ( orthognathic surgery , treatment of traumas and malignancies , nerve tracing in cases of third molar extraction and implant placement ), endodontics ( root fracture detection ), orthodontics ( diagnosis and treatment planning ) [ 6 , 10-15 ]. In this last field , several studies have successfully compared the accuracy of craniofacial measurements taken using landmarks identified on CBCT scans with those taken directly on skulls with conventional digital callipers [ 16 , 17 ]. Safety , accuracy and reliability of measurements taken with new instruments must be evaluated and compared with those obtained with traditional methods also for dental landmarks : data obtained from both the digital and traditional plaster casts models must match in order to allow using the new technologies in clinical practice [ 2 , 8 , 18 ]. In general , recent investigations found that measurements taken on digital models do not differ clinically from those obtained on CBCT scans and physical models [ 4 , 5 ]. Unfortunately , while reporting intra-examiner reliability , no inter-examiner variations were presented [ 6-8 ]. Indeed , the assessment of interoperator variations seems to be of relevance in the current scenario where dental technicians often work in centralised locations at distance from clinical offices , and several of them may be involved in the evaluation of the same dental reproductions . In the current study , we compared measurements taken on digital models obtained from CBCT images and laser scanned surfaces with direct measurements
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