Reliability of Dental Monitoring Reconstructed Digital Dental Models Using Photo Mode

Dental Monitoring™ is a software designed to assist orthodontists in the remote monitoring of orthodontic patients. Dental Monitoring™ software allows patients to take pictures of their teeth through the use of their smartphone. These images are then uploaded to the Dental Monitoring™ platform where a patented algorithm calculates and tracks the current movement of the teeth. This software has the potential for orthodontic patients to have fewer appointments and have better communication with their orthodontist. Despite the potential that this platform can offer, currently there are no studies to validate this technology. To validate this technology, 10 wax typodonts were initially scanned with an iTero® Element™ to produce an initial 3D model that Dental Monitoring™ then used as a baseline for their calculations. Invisalign® trays were then created for each of the 10 wax typodonts; each of the 10 wax typodonts had a series of 10 Invisalign® trays. Once an Invisalign® tray was placed, the typodont was placed in hot water bath set at 45o Celsius for five minutes. After the wax was cooled and the Invisalign® tray was removed, a Dental Monitoring™ photo exam and iTero® scan was taken. The 3D STL file produced from Dental Monitoring™ and the 3D STL file from the iTero® Element™ were then superimposed in GOM™ 3D software to calculate a global deviation from approximately 200,000 surface points between the two models. Results show that there was no clinically significant difference between the reconstructed digital dental models generated by the iTero® Element™ intraoral scanner and reconstructed digital dental models generated by the Dental Monitoring™ application in photo mode. Clinical significance was determined to be 0.5 mm based on the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) standards of clinical significance. Results did demonstrate a statistically significant difference in global deviations over successive Dental Monitoring™ photo exams. Reconstructed digital dental models produced from Dental Monitoring™ in photo mode did progressively increase in global deviations, therefore becoming less accurate over time. These deviations were not clinically significant and never exceeded the threshold of 0.5 mm.