Deep‑learning‑based detection of open‑apex teeth on panoramic radiographs using YOLO models

The use of deep learning in detecting teeth with open apices can prevent the need for additional radiographs for patients. The presented study aims to detect open-apex teeth using You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based deep learning models and compare these models.

A total of 966 panoramic radiographs were included in the study. Open-apex teeth in panoramic radiographs were labeled. During the labeling process, they were divided into 6 classes in the maxilla and mandible, namely incisors, premolars, and molars. AI models YOLOv3, YOLOv4, and YOLOv5 were used. To evaluate the performance of the three detection models, both overall and separately for each class in the test dataset, precision, recall, average precision (mAP), and F1 score were calculated.

YOLOv4 achieved the highest overall performance with a mean average precision (mAP) of 87.84% at IoU (Intersection over Union) 0.5 (mAP@0.5), followed by YOLOv5 with 85.6%, and YOLOv3 with 84.46%. Regarding recall, YOLOv4 also led with 90%, while both YOLOv3 and YOLOv5 reached 89%. Moreover, the F1 score was the highest for YOLOv4 (0.87), followed by YOLOv3 (0.86) and YOLOv5 (0.85).

In this study, YOLOv3, YOLOv4, and YOLOv5 were evaluated for the detection of open-apex teeth, and their mAP, recall, and F1 scores exceeded 84%. Deep learning-based systems can provide faster and more accurate results in the detection of open-apex teeth. This may help reduce the need for additional radiographs from patients and aid dentists by saving time.