Virtual Articulator for Dental Prostheses Using Statistical Jaw Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical and virtual articulators in dentistry inadequately simulate individual human chewing movements, leading to poorly fitting dental prostheses due to the complexity of human jaw anatomy and limited adjustment options, resulting in inaccuracies that can affect patient comfort.
Innovation Solution
A computer-assisted virtual articulator method that generates a precise and individualized model of the patient's chewing apparatus by combining body-related data from multiple patients using statistical methods, allowing for the inference of missing movement phases and accounting for anatomical variations, disease probabilities, and symmetry, to create a complete 4D movement sequence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standard mechanical articulators are used to simulate chewing movements, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision and reliability of prosthesis fabrication deteriorate due to inadequate simulation of individual human jaw anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical articulator system with a computer-based virtual articulator that uses digital data processing and statistical modeling. Instead of physical mechanical joints attempting to replicate jaw movement, the system uses recorded position data from multiple patients, processes it through statistical methods, and generates a probabilistic model of chewing movements in a virtual environment, thereby achieving higher precision without mechanical limitations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the approach from using fixed mechanical parameters of standard articulators to using variable statistical parameters derived from actual patient data. By changing from predetermined mechanical settings to data-driven probabilistic parameters, the system can adapt to individual anatomical variations while maintaining ease of operation through software-based control
2Device complexity
If mechanical articulators with limited adjustment options are used, then the device complexity is minimized, but the adaptability to individual patient anatomy and the manufacturing precision of prostheses deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanically constrained articulator with a software-based virtual articulator that has no physical adjustment limitations. The system uses computer processing to handle individual patient anatomy, allowing unlimited adaptability through digital parameter adjustment while keeping the user interface simple and easy to operate
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal system that can handle diverse individual anatomies through a single platform. The virtual articulator serves multiple functions: it processes data from different patients, applies statistical analysis, generates probabilistic models, and adapts to various anatomical configurations, thereby achieving high versatility without increasing operational complexity
3Ease of manufacture
If axiography is used to record patient chewing movements, then the measurement process is simplified, but the reliability and manufacturing precision deteriorate due to skin resilience causing non-reproducible recordings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from multiple patients recorded through axiography into a collective dataset. By combining recordings from many individuals, the system creates a statistical model that compensates for the non-reproducible nature of individual skin-based measurements. The aggregation process transforms unreliable individual data into reliable population-based patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses recorded position data from multiple patients as templates or copies to create a statistical model. Instead of relying on a single direct measurement that is affected by skin resilience, the system creates multiple copies of movement patterns from different individuals and uses statistical analysis to derive the most probable movement trajectory, thereby achieving reliability through replication
4Device complexity
If conventional virtual articulators modeled on mechanical articulators are used, then the device complexity remains low, but the manufacturing precision and information completeness deteriorate due to reduction of complex 3D movements to single scalar values like Bennett angle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from representing chewing movements in a single dimension (scalar values like Bennett angle) to a multi-dimensional probabilistic model. The system records complete three-dimensional position data across multiple time points and dimensions, then uses statistical methods to preserve and analyze the full complexity of the movement patterns without reducing them to single parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical articulator model that reduces movements to simple parameters with a computer-based statistical model that preserves complete movement information. The virtual system uses digital data processing to maintain full dimensional complexity of jaw movements while keeping the interface simple, thereby avoiding information loss without increasing operational complexity
5Manufacturing precision
If complete 4D movement sequences are generated using statistical methods from aggregated patient data, then the manufacturing precision and reliability of prosthesis fabrication are improved, but the device complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a system where the statistical model automatically processes the aggregated patient data and generates the probabilistic movement patterns without requiring complex manual intervention. The system self-manages the data processing, statistical analysis, and model generation, thereby achieving high manufacturing precision while keeping the operational complexity manageable through automation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copied and aggregated position data from multiple patients to create the statistical model. By replicating and analyzing movement patterns from many individuals, the system generates reliable probabilistic predictions for individual patients without requiring complex direct measurements, thereby achieving precision through data replication rather than complex processing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a computer-assisted virtual articulator (40) for dental medicine, comprising body-related data (18) recorded for a plurality of people (14) and collated to form a data collection, and a model (30) of a masticatory system which is generated from the data collection using statistical methods, said model being used to augment body-related data (36) recorded for an individual patent (34) into an individual movement model of the patient's masticatory system, and to simulate a movement of said masticatory system.