The effect of the presence of brackets on the reliability of measurements made on 3D digital models

Dental models, intraoral and extraoral photographs, clinical and radiological examination methods are used for diagnosis and treatment planning of malocclusion in orthodontics. Although orthodontic plaster models have been accepted as the gold standard in the examination of malocclusion, digital models have now been widely used in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning with the developments in computer technology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of orthodontic brackets on linear measurements made on 3D digital models. Dental impression were taken with Zhermack Hydrocolor 5 (Zhermack SpA, Badia Polesine, Italy) alginate material from the patients without brackets before orthodontic treatment and at the beginning of orthodontic treatment with brackets. Dental models were obtained by using Zhermack Elite Rock Type IV (Zhermack SpA, Badia Polesine, Italy) dental plaster without waiting from the measurements taken. Bracketless and bracketed dental plaster models were converted to digital models using the 3Shape R700 (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark) model scanner. Intraoral models of the patients were created with the 3Shape Trios3 (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark) intraoral scanner before orthodontic treatment started and when orthodontic treatment started. Digital models were transferred to the Orthoanalyzer (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark) program and measurements were made through this program. As a result of the study, no significant difference was found in the measurements made in the intraoral scans and model scans taken with and without brackets. It is thought that these scanning methods, which are frequently used for diagnosis and treatment planning at the initial stage of orthodontic treatment, can be used safely for physicians in the evaluation of the intermediate stages of treatment. Keywords: Digital dental model, orthodontic brackets, dental measurement