• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.234-242
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• 2010

3D CAD technology has been extended to a medical area including dental clinic beyond industrial design. The 2D images obtained by CT(Computerized Tomography) and MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are not intuitive, and thus the volume rendering technique, which transforms 2D data into 3D anatomic information, has been in practical use. This paper has focused on a method and its implementation for forming 3D geometric surface model from laminated CT images of the pubis. The implemented system could support a dental clinic to observe and examine the status of a patient's pubis before implant surgery. The supplement of 3D implant model would help dental surgeons settle operation plans more safely and confidently. It also would be utilized with teaching materials for a practice and training.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.207-213
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• 2009

This paper reports an effort to develop 3D tooth visualization system from CT sequence images as a part of the non-destructive evaluation suitable for the simulation of endodontics, orthodontics and other dental treatments. We focus on the segmentation and visualization for the individual tooth. In dental CT images teeth are touching the adjacent teeth or surrounded by the alveolar bones with similar intensity. We propose an improved level set method with shape prior to separate a tooth from other teeth as well as the alveolar bones. Reconstructed 3D model of individual tooth based on the segmentation results indicates that our technique is a very conducive tool for tooth visualization, evaluation and diagnosis. Some comparative visualization results validate the non-destructive function of our method.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.377-384
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• 2020

This report presents 2 cases of sinus fungus ball and describes the characteristic radiographic features of fungus ball in the maxillary sinus. Two female patients, aged 62 and 40 years, sought consultations at a dental hospital for the treatment of dental implants and tooth pain, respectively. Panoramic radiography and small field-of-view(FOV) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) did not provide detailed information for the radiographic diagnosis of fungus ball due to the limited images of the maxillary sinus. Additional paranasal sinus computed tomographic images showed the characteristic features of fungus ball, such as heterogeneous opacification and intralesional calcification of the maxillary sinus. The calcified materials of the fungus balls were located in the middle and superior regions of the maxillary sinus. It is necessary to use large-FOV CBCT for the detection of calcified materials in the upper maxillary sinus to confirm the diagnosis of fungus ball.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• 제56권10호
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• pp.538-547
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• 2018

ITK-SNAP (http://www.itksnap.org) and 3D Slicer (CMFreg extension module; www.slicer.org) are open-source softwares which can be used for superimposition of cone-beam CT images. For superimposition, segmentation of bone is done with ITK-SNAP, and then voxel based superimposition of CBCT images can be performed using 3D Slicer. 3D Slicer has various visualization modules which are not provided in common commercial programs. 'Models' module is used to visualize two overlapping three-dimensional images, and this allows various visualizations by changing view mode and color of the model. In addition, differences between two CBCT images can be represented in a color map using 'ShapePopulationViewer' module. This report introduces how to superimpose and visualize CBCT images using ITK-SNAP and 3D Slicer, and the usefulness and limitations of both softwares will be discussed in comparison with commercial softwares.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.31-35
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the effect of image enhancement of periapical radiographs according to the diagnostic task. Materials and Methods: Eighty digital intraoral radiographs were obtained from patients and classified into four groups according to the diagnostic tasks of dental caries, periodontal diseases, periapical lesions, and endodontic files. All images were enhanced differently by using five processing techniques. Three radiologists blindly compared the subjective image quality of the original images and the processed images using a 5-point scale. Results: There were significant differences between the image quality of the processed images and that of the original images (P< 0.01) in all the diagnostic task groups. Processing techniques showed significantly different efficacy according to the diagnostic task (P< 0.01). Conclusion: Image enhancement affects the image quality differently depending on the diagnostic task. And the use of optimal parameters is important for each diagnostic task.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• 제43권1호통권428호
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• pp.41-52
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• 2005

Information Technology has extended its scope to the medical field as well as dental field. Like medical field, network ststem for dental field requires acquisition, storage, and display of images. However, unlike the medical field, the system to integrate several information including medical images has not been developed according to industrial standard for management of digital image for medical use, so called DICOM conformance. which makes the digital environment in dental field more and more difficult and expensive for this standardization and comfortable communication in LAN and WAN. To solve this problem, the DICOM encoder and server has to be developed because the DICOM file can be easily retrieved with patient's information from the DICOM server in the system as DICOM file has the standard specification to integrate the patient's information. The information including image and other discrete data can be easily integrated in DICOM file and can be used without any difficulty for precise diagnosis and for contribution to the decision making for each treatment protocol. Therefore, the system composed of DICOM encoder and server in dental practive for DICOM file must be developed with prudent consideration of the several strategic factors: I) Enhanced diagnostic capability through the integrated information of image and clinical data. ii) Clinician-friendly interface to simulate the systemic treatment procedure in clinical practice iii) Implementation of multidisciplinary treatment protocol The development of DICOM encoder and server based on these strategic considerations will provide paperless and filmless hospital environments by the seamless integration and management of patient's history, several clinical data and clinical images through image processing for quantitative analysis. The system also allows clinicians to provide more predictable dental care for the patients.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.36-47
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• 2019

Purposes : The purpose of this study is to analyze empirically the consturct development of brand trust in dental clinic service and its influence on both satisfaction and brand loyalty of clinic users in Seoul area. Methodology : To test the hypotheses, the structured instrument was employed to question to patients and their guardians who had used dental clinics in the metropolitan area. 207 cases were analyzed with structural equation method through SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 22.0, and findings of the test as follows. Findings : Firstly, both functional and associative images had a positive impact on the brand trust. Especially we found the influence of functional images was greater than that of the brands' associative images. Secondly, the satisfaction of dental clinic users had greater positive influence on the clinics with greater trust. Thirdly, the higher the satisfaction of health service consumers, the more positive effect on brand loyalty. This relationship between the satisfaction of dental clinic users and brand loyalty match the findings of previous studies on relations of similar variables. Practical Implications : This study shows that with greater satisfaction, the referral rate and the revisit rate of users would increase. This implies that dental clinics need to take appropriate actions to build brand trust with advertising and/or PR strategies for a good brand image. It would be necessary to research further expected variables that influence users' brand loyalty in the service, such as the dentists' level of expertise, their relationship level with customers, the quality of dental services and et al..

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.247-254
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• 2017

Purpose: Dual-energy X-ray imaging is widely used today in various areas of medicine and in other applications. However, no similar technique exists for dental applications. In this study, we propose a dual-energy technique for dental diagnoses based on voltage-switching. Materials and Methods: The method presented in this study allowed different groups of materials to be classified based on atomic number, thereby enabling two-dimensional images to be colorized. Computer simulations showed the feasibility of this approach. Using a number of different samples with typical biologic and synthetic dental materials, the technique was applied to radiographs acquired with a commercially available dental X-ray unit. Results: This technique provided a novel visual representation of the intraoral environment in three colors, and is of diagnostic value when compared to state-of-the-art grayscale images, since the oral cavity often contains multiple permanent foreign materials. Conclusion: This work developed a technique for two-dimensional dual-energy imaging in the context of dental applications and showed its feasibility with a commercial dental X-ray unit in simulation and experimental studies.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.283-296
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• 2023

An intraoral spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system has been developed, using a custom-built hand-held scanner and spectrometer. The hand-held OCT probe, based on a microelectromechanical systems scanner and a self-built miniaturized drive circuit, had a field of view sufficient for dental diagnosis. The spectrometer using a fabricated f-theta lens provided the image depth required for dental diagnosis. The axial and transverse resolutions of the OCT system in air were 7.5 ㎛ and 12 ㎛ respectively. The hand-held probe could scan an area of 10 × 10 mm², and the spectrometer could image along a depth of 2.5 mm. To verify the utility of the developed OCT system, OCT images of tooth hard and soft tissues were acquired, and a user-interface program for diagnosis was developed. Early caries and microcracks that were difficult to diagnose with existing methods could be found, and the state of restoration could be observed. Measuring the depth of the gingival sulcus, distinguishing subgingival calculus, and detecting an implant under the gingiva suggested the possibility of the SD-OCT system as a diagnostic for dental soft tissues. Through the presented OCT images, the capability of the developed SD-OCT system for dental diagnosis was demonstrated.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제50권2호
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• pp.153-159
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted evaluate the influence of reconstruction parameters of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images on bone mineral density (BMD) analyses. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of micro-CT images of the maxillae of 5 Wistar rats, acquired using a SkyScan 1174 unit (Bruker, Kontich, Belgium). Each acquisition was reconstructed following the manufacturer's recommendations(standard protocol; SP) for the application of artifact correction tools(beam hardening correction [BHC], 45%; smoothing filter, degree 2; and ring artifact correction [RAC], level 5). Additionally, images were reconstructed with 36 protocols combining different settings of artifact correction tools (P0 to P35). BMD analysis was performed for each reconstructed image. The BMD values obtained for each protocol were compared to those obtained using the SP through repeated-measures analysis of variance with the Dunnett post hoc test(α=0.05). Results: The BMD values obtained from all protocols that used a BHC of 45% did not significantly differ from those obtained using the SP (P>0.05). The other protocols all yielded significantly different BMD values from the SP(P<0.05). The smoothing and RAC tools did not affect BMD values. Conclusion: BMD values measured on micro-CT images were influenced by the BHC level. Higher levels of BHC induced higher values of BMD.