Inferior Alveolar Nerve 3D Visualization for Implant Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental imaging systems fail to provide clear visualization of the distance between the inferior alveolar nerve and an implant, making it difficult to avoid nerve damage during implant surgery, and struggle to distinguish the nerve from surrounding bone structures.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that utilize artificial intelligence to mark the inferior alveolar nerve on a 3D dental image, generate a 3D tube around the nerve, and adjust CT numbers based on distance to create a color map distinguishing nerve and bone boundaries, while providing a location guide for the nerve during implant placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional dental imaging system displays a tube-shaped inferior alveolar nerve line connecting nerves, then the nerve location can be identified, but the user cannot easily recognize the distance between the nerve and implant according to implant placement location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded markings on the 3D temporary implant structure to represent different distance ranges between the implant and inferior alveolar nerve. Each color corresponds to a specific distance threshold, allowing users to quickly assess safety margins without complex measurements or additional displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the 3D spatial distance information into a 2D color-coded representation on the implant surface. This dimensional transformation allows distance information to be visually encoded in a way that is easily interpretable on standard display screens without requiring complex 3D measurements.
2Loss of information
If a conventional dental imaging system displays standard CT images, then anatomical structures are visible, but the user cannot visually clearly distinguish the boundary between the inferior alveolar nerve and bone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded markings to highlight the boundary between the inferior alveolar nerve and surrounding bone structures. By assigning distinct colors to different anatomical structures and their boundaries, the system enables visual differentiation without requiring complex image processing or multiple imaging modalities.
3Reliability
If no distance guidance is provided during implant placement, then the implantation procedure is simple, but the user must manually check nerve location during surgery which increases surgical risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs distance calculations and color-coded markings on the 3D implant structure before the actual implantation procedure. By pre-processing and displaying safety margin information, the system enables surgeons to make informed decisions about implant placement without requiring complex intraoperative measurements or checks.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an inferior alveolar nerve indication method, a computing device, and a computer-readable recording medium therefor, and the inferior alveolar nerve indication method comprises the steps of displaying a dental image of a patient, marking an inferior alveolar nerve on the dental image according to the location of a mandibular nerve predicted from the dental image, and displaying, on the dental image, a rendered three-dimensional (3D) tube based on the inferior alveolar nerve.