Improving Communication with Patient Virtualization
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
August 1, 2021
Volume 12, Issue 8, August 2021
Page(s): p. 30
Michael J. Hartman, DMD, MD
Members of a patient's dental care team rely upon written, verbal, and visual forms of communication to effectively relay information among themselves. Patients undergoing dental implant procedures typically have an implant surgeon, restoring dentist, and dental laboratory technician involved in their care. To ensure best outcomes, and set realistic patient expectations, it is important all members be involved from the start and have access to pertinent case information. This is especially important in larger, more complex dental implant cases. Our laboratory, Digital Provisionalization Technologies, is always looking for ways to improve communication between ourselves and our clients.
One form of visual communication that our laboratory is implementing is called patient virtualization. Currently, various hardware and software options are available to acquire and merge multiple forms of data to create a 3D representation of the patient's bone, dentition, and facial surface. Below are three common types of patient visual data acquired in dentistry.1
1. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)
CBCT is a medical imaging device used to acquire a 3D boney image of a patient. The device acquires multiple slices of the patient in a set thickness. These slices are then computed and able to be viewed from various perspectives such as the axial, coronal, or sagittal. A 3D composite model also can be viewed. A CBCT file is saved in the Digital Imaging for Communication in Medicine (DICOM) file format.
2. Intraoral scanning (IOS)
IOS is an imaging device used to acquire a digital representation of a patient's dentition and surrounding soft tissue. The IOS is saved in a Standard Tessellation Language (STL) file format.
3. Facial scan
The facial scan is one the newest forms of patient image acquisition. This imaging device is used to acquire a color image of a patient's facial surface topography. The facial scan is saved in an object (OBJ) file format.
DentalCAD and exoplan allow the merging of these different image file types to create a virtual patient. We are able to share this information through the built-in dentalshare to streamline our diagnosis, treatment planning, guided surgery design, and final restorations. As a result, we have an improved visual form of communication to share with all members of the patient's dental implant team, which helps us provide better patient outcomes.
Reference
1. Joda T et al. Virtual Dental Patient: How Long Until It's Here. Curr Oral Health Rep. 2018;5(2):116-20.
Key Takeaways
› All restorative team members should be involved from the start of a case and have access to pertinent case information
› exocad's DentalCAD and exoplan allow the merging of DICOM, STL, and OBJ files to create a virtual patient
› exocad dentalshare allows dental professionals to share patient data
Michael J. Hartman, DMD, MD
Owner • Hartman Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Mechanicsburg, PA
Owner • Digital Provisionalization Technologies
Mechanicsburg, PA
Clinical Instructor • University of Maryland School of Dentistry
College Park, MD
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION • exocad.com • 855-396-4223
