Detecting and monitoring development of a dental condition

A system comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for causing a processor to perform a method for visualize a change in a dental condition of a patient's set of teeth and a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to visualize the change in a dental condition of a patient's set of teeth by the method, the method comprising:

• obtaining a first digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a first point in time;
• obtaining a second digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a second point in time;
• comparing at least parts of the first and second digital 3D representations;
• and
• detecting, based on the comparison, a change in a parameter relating to the dental condition, wherein, when a change exceeding a set threshold is detected, an operator is prompted through the graphical user interface;
• wherein the graphical user interface is configured to visualize a development of a dental condition by aligning the digital 3D representations and then controlling transparency of the digital 3D representations based on an order in which the digital 3D representations are obtained
• wherein the dental condition is caries, and wherein the detecting comprises:
• detecting a change in color in the digital 3D tooth models between the one or more corresponding regions on the aligned first and second digital 3D tooth models, wherein a detected change in color is correlated with an expected change in the color in response to the development of caries.

A method for detecting or monitoring a dental condition of a patient's teeth, the method comprising:

• obtaining a first digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a first point in time and segmenting the first digital 3D representation such that a first 3D tooth model is formed for at least one tooth;
• obtaining a second digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a second point in time and segmenting the second digital 3D representation such that a second 3D tooth model is formed for the least one tooth;
• aligning the first and second 3D tooth models;
• comparing one or more corresponding regions on the aligned first and second 3D tooth models;
• subsequently detecting a change in a parameter representing a dental condition based on the comparison;
• and
• prompting an operator through a graphical user interface when a detected change exceeds a set threshold;
• wherein the user interface is configured to visualize the change in the parameter by aligning the digital 3D representations and then controlling a transparency of the different digital 3D representations based on an order in which the digital 3D representations are obtained;
• wherein the dental condition is caries, and wherein the detecting comprises:
• detecting a change in color in the digital 3D tooth models between the one or more corresponding regions on the aligned first and second digital 3D tooth models, wherein a detected change in color is correlated with an expected change in the color in response to the development of caries.

A system comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for causing a processor to perform a method for visualize a change in a dental condition of a patient's set of teeth;
• and
• a graphical user interface,
• wherein the method comprises:
• obtaining a first digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a first point in time and segmenting the first digital 3D representation such that a first 3D tooth model is formed for at least one tooth;
• obtaining a second digital 3D representation of the teeth recorded at a second point in time and segmenting the second digital 3D representation such that a second 3D tooth model is formed for the least one tooth;
• aligning the first and second 3D tooth models;
• comparing one or more corresponding regions on the aligned first and second 3D tooth models;
• and
• subsequently detecting a change in a parameter representing a dental condition based on the comparison, wherein, when a detected change exceeds a set threshold, an operator is prompted through the graphical user interface;
• wherein the user interface is configured to visualize the change in the parameter by aligning the digital 3D representations and then controlling a transparency of the different digital 3D representations based on an order in which the digital 3D representations are obtained;
• wherein the dental condition is caries, and wherein the detecting comprises:
• detecting a change in color in the digital 3D tooth models between the one or more corresponding regions on the aligned first and second digital 3D tooth models, wherein a detected change in color is correlated with an expected change in the color in response to the development of caries.