Dental Implant Surgical Guide Image Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for manufacturing surgical guides for dental implants face challenges in accuracy due to difficulties in matching three-dimensional images of the mouth, especially in edentulous patients, leading to potential nerve damage and increased procedure costs.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the use of a denture with attached reference markers for enhanced image matching, where the denture's inner and outer surfaces are scanned to create a three-dimensional occlusion guide image, improving the accuracy and reliability of the surgical guide by integrating external shape data with CT scan information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If three-dimensional images are matched based on common portions such as crown region, then image matching can be performed, but in edentulous patients where crown region is lost, accurate image matching becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage matching accuracyVSAvoidapplicability to edentulous patients
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the reference matching function from the crown region (which is absent in edentulous patients) and relocates it to the denture structure. The denture serves as a portable reference carrier that can be scanned and matched across different imaging modalities, making the system adaptable to edentulous patients who lack natural teeth for reference matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The denture acts as an intermediary object between the patient's mouth and the imaging system. By attaching reference markers to the denture and scanning both the denture and the patient's mouth, the system creates a bridge that enables accurate image matching even when natural reference points (teeth) are absent. The denture transfers the reference information from the external environment into the oral cavity context.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If only CT scanning is used to obtain three-dimensional images, then internal tissue information is obtained, but external shape information of oral tissues is missing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of oral informationVSAvoidnumber of scanning devices
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the functions of CT scanning (for internal structure) and oral scanning (for external shape) into a unified imaging workflow. By scanning the denture with both internal and external characteristics, and integrating these scans with CT images through reference marker matching, the system combines complementary information sources to create a complete three-dimensional model of the oral environment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The denture serves multiple functions: it acts as a reference carrier for image matching, provides external shape information through scanning, and facilitates the integration of multiple imaging modalities. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate reference objects and scanning procedures, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining information completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Manufacturing precision

If image matching is performed without proper reference markers, then the process is simpler, but inaccurate information is included in the matched image

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical guide accuracyVSAvoidimage matching process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching reference markers to the denture before scanning and imaging procedures. This preparatory step ensures that reference points are already in place and properly positioned, enabling accurate image matching during subsequent processing. The reference markers are prepared in advance, eliminating the need for complex real-time alignment procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback through the image matching process that uses reference markers to verify and correct the alignment between different scans and CT images. The matching algorithm continuously refines the registration by comparing reference marker positions across multiple data sets, providing feedback that improves the accuracy of the final three-dimensional model and surgical guide.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3042627B1Method for manufacturing a surgical guide for a dental implant
Publication Date: 2018.12.12 DIO
  • EP3042627B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3042627B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3042627B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Method for manufacturing a surgical guide, and a crown and an abutment in a mouth for a dental implant, which includes an operation of obtaining a primarily scanned image through scanning of inner and outer surfaces of a denture which has a first image matching groove matched with a patient's tooth implanting portion and in which a plurality of reference markers are attached to an outside, obtaining a secondarily scanned image through oral scanning of upper and lower jaws while the denture is installed, preliminarily matching the secondarily scanned image with the primarily scanned image, obtaining an integrated scanned image considering a vertical dimension by reversing the first image matching groove so that an image of the first image matching groove is dimensionalized from the primarily scanned image, and obtaining a CT image through CT scanning of the upper and lower jaws.