Accuracy assessment of prototypes produced using multi-slice and cone-beam computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Dental Technology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate fabrication of dental prototypes is crucial for patient treatment.
• Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) are imaging modalities used for creating 3D models.
• Assessing dimensional accuracy of prototypes from different imaging sources is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare the dimensional errors of prototypes created using MSCT and CBCT data.
• To evaluate the suitability of these prototypes for dental applications.

Main Methods:

• Titanium screws were placed in a dry skull, which served as the gold standard.
• The skull was scanned using MSCT (0.3 mm pixel size) and CBCT (0.25 mm and 0.4 mm voxel sizes).
• Prototypes were fabricated using a 3D printer, and dimensional accuracy was measured using a 3D coordinate measuring system.

Main Results:

• Prototypes from MSCT data had a mean dimensional error of 0.62%.
• Prototypes from CBCT data showed mean errors of 0.74% (0.25 mm voxel) and 0.82% (0.40 mm voxel).
• No significant differences in dimensional errors were found between the prototypes (p=0.767).

Conclusions:

• Prototypes fabricated from both MSCT and CBCT data exhibit acceptable dimensional errors.
• These imaging techniques and resulting prototypes are suitable for use in dental fabrication.
• The choice of voxel size in CBCT did not significantly impact the dimensional accuracy of the final prototypes.