Comparative Analysis of Mandibular Kinematics Recorded with Zebris JMA and Medit i700 Using an Open-Source 3D...

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Biomechanics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Mandibular kinematics are crucial for digital dental avatars.
• Jaw motion can be recorded by dedicated analysers or intraoral scanners.
• Few studies compare these device categories on the same patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the Zebris Jaw Motion Analyzer (JMA) and Medit i700 intraoral scanner for mandibular kinematics.
• To evaluate their performance using a novel open-source Blender-based framework.
• To assess agreement in recording mandibular displacement.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational, paired-cohort study on 17 adults.
• Utilized a custom Python add-on for Blender for data analysis.
• Compared Zebris JMA and Medit i700 data, validating at maximum intercuspation and analyzing directional displacement components.

Main Results:

• Near-perfect agreement was found at maximum intercuspation (Pearson r = 0.997; ICC = 0.997).
• During protrusion, anteroposterior displacement became dominant for both systems.
• Medit i700 showed smaller fitting residuals than Zebris JMA (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Zebris JMA and Medit i700 provide comparable scalar displacement data.
• Systematic differences were observed in the directional decomposition of mandibular movement.
• The Blender-based framework facilitates uniform analysis of jaw motion data.