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Title: Towards AR-assisted Visualization and Guidance for Imaging of Dental Decay
Untreated dental decay is the most prevalent dental problem in the world, affecting up to 2.4 billion people and leading to significant economic and social burden. Early detection can greatly mitigate irreversible effects of dental decay, avoiding the need for expensive restorative treatment that forever disrupts the enamel protective layer of teeth. However, two key challenges exist that make early decay management difficult: unreliable detection, and lack of quantitative monitoring during treatment. New optically-based imaging through the enamel provides the dentist a safe means to detect, locate, and monitor the healing process. This work explores the use of an Augmented Reality (AR) headset to improve the workflow of early decay therapy and monitoring. The proposed workflow includes two novel AR-enabled features: 1) in-situ visualization of pre-operative optically-based dental images and 2) augmented guidance for repetitive imaging during therapy monitoring. The workflow is designed to minimize distraction, mitigate hand-eye coordination problems, and help guide monitoring of early decay during therapy in both clinical and mobile environments. The results from quantitative evaluations as well as a formative qualitative user study uncover the potentials of our system and indicates that AR can serve as a promising tool in tooth decay management.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1631146
PAR ID:
10117242
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Healthcare technology letters
ISSN:
2053-3713
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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