An etiology of Inferior Alveolar Nerve on third molar using dental image processing

The location and distance of Inferior Alveolar Nerve with the third molar is the most crucial part of a panoramic image. Surgery for removal of impacted third molar involves various post-operative complications. They are more common in mandible rather than maxilla. It includes bleeding, dry socket, nerve injury, delayed heeling, periodontal pocketing and infections. Due to ambiguity of its structure, the Inferior Alveolar Nerve is very elusive to extract in dental radiograph. In this paper a novel method for automatic extraction of Inferior Alveolar Nerve is being proposed. The technology of medical image processing has extensively evolved in recent years. We have used panoramic radiograph for purpose of analysis. During enhancement of radiographs various post-operative morphometric operations have been used. After pre-processing and canny edge detection ROI is being extracted for further analysis. The main theme to identify vital anatomic structure such as the Inferior Alveolar Nerve is neglected during the surgical procedure.