3D Diagnosis in Dentistry

INTRODUCTION\r\n3D imaging is rapidly changing diagnostic procedures in\r\nall fields of dentistry. Intraoral scanners and three-dimensional\r\nradiographs, Tc and ConeBeam, have entered the routine of\r\neveryday clinical practice. Patient photography has also\r\nevolved into stereophotogrammetry, which obtains threedimensional images of the face. The advancements in 3D\r\ntechnologies have stimulated the production of software that\r\nallows the anatomy of the dental patient to be reconstructed in\r\nthree dimensions. Technological development has stimulated\r\nresearch in finding ways to improve diagnostic programming\r\nand therapeutic programming. In recent years, many articles\r\nhave been published that compare 2D technologies to 3D\r\ntechnologies in dental diagnosis. At the same time, new 3D\r\nimage analysis systems were studied, enhanced by the\r\ndevelopment of artificial intelligence systems based on\r\nmachine learning. Research in the field of dentomaxillofacial\r\nradiology concerns automated diagnosis of dental and\r\nmaxillofacial diseases, localization of anatomical landmarks\r\nfor orthodontic and orthognathic treatment planning, and\r\ngeneral improvement of image quality. Other recent research\r\nevaluates the quality and use of intraoral scanners and 3D\r\nsoftware and printers for the design and implementation of\r\ntherapeutic means. CAD / CAM technology is used in many\r\nfields of dentistry, especially in implantology, prosthetics,\r\northodontics, and maxillofacial surgery. Surgical guides for\r\nimplantology and orthodontic miniscrews placement,\r\nprovisional and definitive prosthetic restorations, and many\r\northodontic appliances are designed and built. In this field,\r\nresearch and technology are revolutionizing clinical\r\nprocedures, which in many cases can follow a digital\r\nworkflow.\r\nFinally, many studies propose the evaluation of\r\nstereophotogrammetry as a means of integrating 3D diagnosis.\r\nIn this field, scientific research has produced works on the\r\nevaluation of the means of image acquisition and on the\r\npositioning of landmarks that allow measuring the proportions\r\n*\r\n Address correspondence to this author at the Dental Institute, Catholic\r\nUniversity of the Sacred Heart, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS. L.go A.\r\nGemelli, 8 – 00168 Rome, Italy; E-mail: [email protected]\r\nof the facial volumes and accurately observing the effects of\r\ntherapies on soft tissues.\r\nAs a demonstration of the novelty and scientific interest in\r\nthis topic, the production of scientific works is constantly\r\nincreasing. The researchers are trying to overcome the gap in\r\nthe difficulty of using the technology through the proposal of\r\nautomatic 3D image processing systems, which make clinical\r\napplication easier.\r\nThis Guest Editor issue is particularly dedicated to\r\nupdating the knowledge regarding the use of digital devices in\r\nthe diagnostic process. One of the results in publishing articles\r\non 3D diagnosis is to show the community of dentists how to\r\nuse the new technologies in daily practice. I am grateful to the\r\nEditorial Board of The Open Dentistry Journal at Bentham\r\nOPEN for this special issue.\r\nThe articles collected in this issue report the novelties\r\nbrought by digital technologies in orthodontics. One of the\r\nmost peculiar effects of using new technologies is that dentists\r\nare allowed to study the face of the patient and measure it\r\nprecisely. This aspect is very important for orthodontic\r\ndiagnosis, but its importance is growing in all the fields of\r\ndentistry due to the increase of attention on the facial aspect.\r\nFacial esthetic today has the same importance as dental\r\nocclusion and function, thus has contributed to increasing the\r\nmultidisciplinarity of dental intervention