3D Dental Reconstruction with Photogrammetry Technology

In the dental field, the use of digital technologies for scanning of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth is becoming more and more widespread. The availability of digital 3D models of the dental arches allows to plan treatments and to show the results in advance, increasing patient confidence. However, currently in clinical practice, the accuracy of digital models, although very satisfactory, does not reach that of traditional impressions. It also requires the use of technologies that simplify the hardware structure, making the intraoral acquisition device more manageable and comfortable. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how photogrammetry technology, commonly and widely used and very effective in other sectors, can be adapted to the dental field, starting from the reconstruction of a dental plaster cast. By comparing the 3D model obtained with the proposed technology with a 3D model obtained using the leading top player intraoral scanners on the market, comparable results were obtained in terms of reconstruction performance. Both from the comparison of the spatial alignment and from the comparison of the shape, a certain overlap and equality between the two 3D models emerge. These results suggest that this technology could represent a valid solution for the 3D models reconstruction also in the dental field, overcoming the limitation of technologies currently used on the market in this field.