Mapping intraoral photographs on virtual teeth model.

OBJECTIVES: Tooth shade is crucial to patient satisfaction in aesthetic dentistry. Two-dimensional (2D) clinical photographs have been widely used to record patients' tooth shade for creation of beautiful smile. However, in the digital workflow, 3D virtual teeth models in open file format contain only mesh information with no colour. This paper describes the mapping of colour information from the intraoral photographs onto the virtual teeth model. METHODS: Intraoral photographs of occlusal and buccal views were taken using digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera with macro lens and ring flash. Photographs were calibrated for its colour and white balance. Virtual models were generated by scanning teeth/stone casts using an intraoral/model scanner. Intraoral photographs were mapped onto the virtual model using the image-to-geometry registration method by locating corresponding feature points in the 2D and 3D images. RESULTS: Virtual teeth models of dentate (with and without crowding) and partially dentate patients were mapped with intraoral photographs. The resultant models are open file format and can be viewed and manipulated in dental or generic CAD/CAM software. Moreover, RGB (Red Green Blue) colour information and error of registration can be retrieved. CONCLUSION: Image-to-geometry registration allows mapping of colour information in the 2D intraoral photographs on 3D virtual teeth models. The proposed method is applicable across scanning systems and the coloured model can be generated from stone casts and intraoral photographs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Virtual teeth model with colour information facilitates shade matching and creation of beautiful smile.

A clinical technique for virtual articulator mounting with natural head position by using calibrated stereophotogrammetry.

Accurate articulator-mounted casts are essential for occlusion analysis and for fabrication of dental prostheses. Although the axis orbital plane has been commonly used as the reference horizontal plane, some clinicians prefer to register the horizontal plane with a spirit level when the patient is in the natural head position (NHP) to avoid anatomic landmark variations. This article presents a digital workflow for registering the patient's horizontal plane in NHP on a virtual articulator. An orientation reference board is used to calibrate a stereophotogrammetry device and a 3-dimensional facial photograph with the patient in NHP. The horizontal plane can then be automatically registered to the patient's virtual model and aligned to the virtual articulator at the transverse horizontal axis level. This technique showed good repeatability with positional differences of less than 1 degree and 1 mm in 5 repeated measurements in 1 patient.

A 2-part facebow for CAD-CAM dentistry.

Converting the patient's clinical information into the virtual world is a prerequisite for the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) of dental restorations. This article describes a modified facebow which facilitates the radiation-free registration of the maxillary teeth to a 3-dimensional face image for transfer to a virtual articulator. This facebow can be easily fabricated with minimal materials and adjusted to fit different patients; its error in tooth registration was demonstrated to be less than 1 mm.