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US 8,013,853 B1Granted
Virtual dental patient
AssigneeRegents of the University of Minnesota
InventorsBill Douglas, Ralph DeLong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods read clinical data records to create and three-dimensional images representing a virtual dental patient. The images can be used to assess the current dental health of a patient. In particular the systems and methods create accurate, three-dimensional virtual renditions of dental patients, compare the virtual renditions with other virtual renditions, and create computer databases of the renditions from which population statistics are calculated for parameters measured on the renditions. By comparing a particular patient rendition to the population statistics a report is produced that aids in the diagnosis of the patient's current dental health.
Claims25
A computerized method of representing a virtual dental patient, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of clinical records of a patient;
- receiving at least one jaw movement record;
- and
- determining by one or more processors at least one helical axis using the set of clinical records and the at least one jaw movement record, wherein the at least one helical axis is determined in accordance with at least a first jaw position and a second jaw position in the at least one jaw movement record, and further wherein the at least one helical axis controls the motions of a lower jaw data set relative to an upper jaw set;
- wherein the at least one jaw movement record comprises a functionally generated path (FGP), said FGP representing a plurality of lower jaw positions and wherein determining at least one helical axis comprises:
- determining a control point in a set of target points on the FGP, the control point and the target points comprising points in the lower jaw data set;
- aligning a first position of the FGP to an upper jaw data set;
- determining a first location for the set of target points on the first position of the FGP;
- selecting a step direction;
- and
- for each of a subset of the plurality of positions in the FGP performing the tasks of:
- determining a next position by stepping along the FGP in the step direction;
- aligning the new position to the FGP,
- determining a next location for the set of target points, and
- determining a helical axis parameter set from the first location and the next location, the helical axis parameter set including at least one parameter determined as a function of the control point.
12 more elements
A computerized method of representing a virtual dental patient, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of clinical records of a patient;
- receiving at least one jaw movement record:
- and
- determining by one or more processors at least one helical axis using the set of clinical records and the at least one jaw movement record, wherein the at least one helical axis is determined in accordance with at least a first jaw position and a second jaw position in the at least one jaw movement record and further wherein the at least one helical axis controls the motions of a lower jaw data set relative to an upper jaw set;
- wherein determining at least one helical axis further comprises:
- determining a control point in a set of target points in the jaw movement record, the control point and the target points comprising points in the lower jaw data set;
- determining a location for the set of target points on a first jaw record representing a first position;
- aligning a second jaw record representing a second position;
- calculating a second location for the target points on the second jaw record;
- determining the at least one helical axis from the first location and the second location, the helical axis comprising at least one parameter determined as a function of the control point.
7 more elements
A computerized system for representing a virtual dental patient, the system comprising:
- a computer operable to:
- receive a set of clinical records of a patient;
- receive at least one jaw movement record;
- determine a set of target points in the jaw movement record, the target points comprising points in a lower jaw data set;
- determine a control point in the set of target points, the control point comprising a point in the lower jaw data;
- and
- determine at least one helical axis using the set of clinical records and the at least one jaw movement record, the at least one helical axis including at least one parameter determined as a function of the control point;
- wherein the at least one helical axis is determined in accordance with at least a first jaw position and a second jaw position in the at least one jaw movement record, and further wherein the at least one helical axis controls the motions of a lower jaw data set relative to an upper jaw set;
- and
- a data storage device communicably coupled to the computer and operable to store the set of clinical records, the at least one jaw movement record and the at least one helical axis.
7 more elements
A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing a method of representing a virtual dental patient, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of clinical records of a patient;
- receiving at least one jaw movement record;
- and
- determining at least one helical axis using the set of clinical records and the at least one jaw movement record, wherein the at least one helical axis is determined in accordance with at least a first jaw position and a second jaw position in each of at least two jaw movement records, and further wherein the at least one helical axis controls the motions of a lower jaw data set relative to an upper jaw set;
- wherein the at least one jaw movement record comprises a functionally generated path (FGP), said FGP representing a plurality of lower jaw positions and wherein determining at least one helical axis comprises:
- determining a control point in a set of target points on the FGP, the control point and the target points comprising points in the lower jaw data set;
- aligning a first position of the FGP to an upper jaw data set;
- determining a first location for a set of target points on the first position of the FGP;
- selecting a step direction;
- and
- for each of a subset of the plurality of positions in the FGP performing the tasks of:
- determining a next position by stepping along the FGP in the step direction,
- aligning the new position to the FGP,
- determining a next location for the set of target points, and
- determining a helical axis parameter set from the first location and the next location, the helical axis parameter set including at least one parameter determined as a function of the control point.
12 more elements
A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing a method of representing a virtual dental patient, the method comprising,
- receiving a set of clinical records of a patient;
- receiving at least one jaw movement record;
- determining a control point in a set of target points in the jaw movement record, the control point and the target points comprising points in a lower jaw data set;
- determining a location for the set of target points on a first jaw record representing a first position;
- aligning a second jaw record representing a second position;
- calculating a second location for the target points on the second jaw record;
- and
- determining the at least one helical axis from the first location and the second location, the helical axis comprising at least one parameter determined as a function of the control point.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.