The Virtual Patient in Daily Orthodontics: Matching Intraoral and Facial Scans without Cone Beam Computed Tomography

Abstract

Aim: The authors provided an accurate, simple, and noninvasive method for matching the intraoral scan with facial scan of a patient, without the need of a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and methods: Three different facial scans were acquired: the first one with the mouth closed, the second one with a voluntary “social smile”, and the last one scanned the face with a lip-and-cheek retractor with dental arches in occlusion. The base of this method is to superimpose the area of the dental arches acquired by a face scanner with the same area derived by an intraoral scanner. Result: An accurate matching of intraoral and facial scans can be achieved without the risks of radiation exposure. Conclusions: The virtual patient helps the orthodontist to improve both diagnosis and treatment planning: a three-dimensional digital smile design can be performed, the patient’s smile can then be analyzed in the context of the lips, and the teeth can be moved to achieve a consonant and balanced smile. All this information can be integrated in a clear aligner therapy or an indirect bonding procedure, enhancing outcomes in the facial esthetics.