Digital Orthodontics: A New Era for Improved Diagnosis and Treatment Options
A special issue of Oral (ISSN 2673-6373).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2024) | Viewed by 11326
Special Issue Editor
Interests: orthodontics; dentistry; oral surgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The recent introduction of digital tools in orthodontics dramatically changed treatment planning and therapeutic approaches.
The spread of cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) offers a three-dimensional evaluation of malocclusion with a dose reduction exposition for the patient. This aspect enlarged the appropriate indication of 3D computer tomography evaluation in orthodontics, allowing significant improvements in the diagnosis of specific conditions such as impacted teeth, skeletal asymmetries, root resorption conditions, mandibular condyle dysplasia, and severe skeletal malocclusion.
Recently, the introduction of facial scanners and intra-oral scanners has allowed a more precise evaluation of facial and dental arch deformities, improving the evaluation of treatment results in orthodontics and dentofacial deformities treatment of adult and growing patients.
Moreover, the widespread use of intra-oral scanners allows the registration of dentoalveolar anatomy by the acquisition of a 3D model that can be saved as an STL (standard triangle language) file. These files can be processed by CAD (computer-aid design) software to generate a virtual set-up of the occlusion. Virtual set-up represents a virtual correction of the malocclusion and can be used by orthodontists to pre-visualize occlusal treatment objects and plan orthodontic treatment strategies.
Virtual set-up is a fundamental step of orthodontic treatment with clear aligners. Recently, the use of clear aligners to correct malocclusion is becoming very popular especially for adults. Specific CAD software can create intermediate models that represent intermediate steps from the original 3D model of dental arches to the virtual set-up representing the corrected malocclusion. These intermediate models are usually 3D printed, creating physical models that can are used for aligner creation by a thermoforming process performed on the 3D printed models.
Three-dimensional printing technology is used in orthodontics not only during aligner fabrication but also during orthodontic indirect bonding, surgical guide creation for guided orthodontic miniscrew insertion, and during autotransplantation.
The therapeutic options offered by new digital tools need to be scientifically validated and evaluated to quantify the real benefits offered by new technologies. Moreover, new digital tools allow the evaluation of treatment outcomes, which was not possible 10-15 years ago. This Special Issue collection aims to group scientific contributions that evaluate digital tools in contemporary orthodontic diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Riccardo Nucera
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- digital orthodontics
- cone beam computer tomography
- 3D printing
- clear aligners
- guided miniscrew insertion
- dental CAD software
- indirect bonding
- guided autotransplantation
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