Three-dimensional visualization of the mandible: a new method for presenting the periodontal status and diseases

A three-dimensional representation of an ideal human jaw was reconstructed from a series of 178 digitized photographic cross-sections. The two-dimensional images were taken from the slices of an artificial skull and have been digitized by means of a high resolution scanner with a spatial resolution of 860 dots per inch. On the basis of that sequence of cross-sections, a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm was developed to reduce the information to a quadriliteral surface-representation of the teeth and the bone. An algorithm was developed which simulates the individual pathology of a patient both on the basis of the findings stored in this patient's dental record and by using the representation of the reference jaw. The results of the modeling module were automatically prepared for rendering with visualization tools compatible to the RenderMan standard. This new method of presenting periodontal situations in especially helpful for the diagnostic support of periodontologists and for dental educational purposes.