3D intraoral scanning techniques support the effects of crown morphology on dental caries

TL;DR

This study uses 3D intraoral scanning to show how tooth shape affects the risk of dental caries.

Contribution

The study identifies specific tooth morphology factors linked to caries using 3D scanning data.

Findings

Vertical distance between the distal tip and gum is a significant risk factor for caries.

Distal lateral and mesial horizontal occlusion distances are also associated with caries risk.

The model showed good fit, suggesting these morphological factors are reliable predictors.

Abstract

With the development and utilization of three-dimensional (3D) intraoral scanning (IOS) technology, the morphological characteristics of teeth were quantitatively assessed. In this research, we aimed to explore the prevalence of dental caries in relation to each measurable morphological indicator of the tooth body via 3D intraoral scanning techniques.

A hospital-based single-centre study was conducted at our hospital from Dec. 2021 to Apr. 2023. A total of 53 patients were involved in the study, providing complete morphological data for 79 teeth. Each patient completed an oral hygiene routine questionnaire and underwent examination by an experienced dentist to evaluate caries conditions before undergoing 3D intraoral scanning to obtain a digital dental model. Geomagic Studio 2014 was used to extract oral morphological data from the models. The acquired data were entered, cleaned and edited using Excel 2016 and subsequently exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. Chi-square analysis and logistic regression analyses were employed to test the associations.

Among the participants, 33 (61.1%) were female, with a mean age of 26.52 ± 10.83 years. Significant associations were found between dental caries and the vertical distance between the distal tip and the gum (OR 14.02; 95% CI 1.80-109.07; P = 0.012), the distal lateral horizontal distance of occlusion (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.18–0.90; P = 0.026), and the mesial horizontal distance of occlusion (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.12–4.31; P = 0.021). The Hosmer–Lemeshow test indicated a P value of 0.33.

The vertical distance between the distal tip and the gum, the distal lateral horizontal distance of the occlusion and the mesial horizontal distance of the occlusion were the influencing factors for dental caries (identified as independent risk factors). We hypothesize that these factors may be associated with the physiological curvature of teeth and the role of chewing grooves in plaque formation over time. However, further studies involving larger population samples and more detailed age stratification are still needed.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-024-04292-9.

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