Development of a model generator for natural teeth and automated generation of dental crowns and virtuell preparations

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Andreas Greuling
• Subject Area: Dentistry, Oral Surgery
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 462306304

In dental research, the finite element method (FEM) has been established for a long time. However, it is not currently standardized for direct support in clinical questions, such as prosthetic treatment planning. Nevertheless, its use in complex situations can provide valuable additional information. One reason for the rare use for patient-specific clinical questions is that FE simulations necessarily involve numerous simplifications, for example regarding material properties or geometry. These simplifications raise questions about the transferability to experimental or clinical cases and require special attention when interpreting the simulation data. Furthermore, the effort required to conduct FE simulations is often considerable, with a large portion of the working time spent creating simulation-compatible CAD models. The overall goal of this project is to develop a methodology that allows for the automated virtual creation of teeth and their restoration. The methodology will be based on scan data and user-defined parameters to generate CAD models suitable for finite element simulations. Additionally, the aim is to convert parts of the CAD model into files suitable for experimental manufacturing, in order to produce clinically usable crowns. Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper will be used for the development. The goal is to replace the manual processing steps in 3D modeling with rule-based automation to achieve faster and more robust modeling.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants