A combination dental imaging system and dental practice management and charting system includes a dental imaging device, a dental practice management and charting system and a bi-directional communication interface which couples the dental imaging system to the dental practice management and charting system. The combination dental imaging system and dental practice management and charting system also includes a code generator, a translator and a correlator. The code generator generates an ADA CDT code. The translator translates the ADA CDT code into at least one property required by the dental imaging system in order to acquire dental images of a specific image type, format and quantity. The correlator correlates the dental images to be acquired by the dental imaging system to the ADA CDT code so that the dental images are acquired by having at least one property set.

Taking a digital implant or abutment level digital impression by means of intra-oral, computed tomography or other imaging method provides the restorative doctor and laboratory accurate and effective data for determining the implant position, angulation and locking feature orientation without a physical impression. Such data is correlated with a digital library to produce an output which enables design and fabrication of an accurate restorative device such as a prosthetic tooth or crown. In this way the time-consuming, costly and error prone mechanical replication of the relevant dental anatomy is obviated.

The invention comprises an alignment guide apparatus and a method of use thereof for aligning an imaging beam, longitudinally passing through an exit nozzle of an imaging system, to an imaging zone of a sample, includes the steps of: (1) providing an alignment guide, the alignment guide comprising: (a) a guide wall at least partially circumferentially enclosing an aperture, (b) a first laser element connected to the guide wall, and (c) a second laser element connected to the guide wall; (2) inserting the exit nozzle of the imaging system into the aperture; (3) projecting a first line from the first laser element onto the sample; (4) projecting a second line from the second laser element onto the sample; and (5) moving the sample relative to the exit nozzle of the imaging system to position an intersection of the first line and the second line at the imaging zone to align the imaging beam to the imaging zone.

A kit and method for tracking a human jaw are provided. The kit and method can involve a bone screw and an extension arm. The bone screw has a threaded portion, a head portion and a longitudinal axis. The threaded portion can have a thread diameter of less than or equal to about 2.5 mm and can be inserted into a bone of the human jaw within 45 of the occlusal plane. The head portion protrudes out of the bone of the human jaw when the threaded portion is inserted into the bone. The extension arm can be rigidly secured to the head portion of the bone screw to maintain a fixed spatial mapping between the head portion of the bone screw and an optically detectable marking provided on the extension arm. When secured to the head portion of the bone screw, the extension arm can be positioned such that the optically detectable marking is detectable by an optical tracking system positioned outside the mouth containing the jaw bone.

A medical device for treating a skin of a patient includes: a radiation source configured to provide radiation; a collimator coupled to the radiation source; and an optical device for viewing a target area on the skin when a distal end of the medical device is covering the skin. A method of treating a skin of a patient includes: providing a treatment device having a distal end, a radiation source, and a collimator, wherein the distal end is configured for placement over the skin of the patient so that the skin of the patient is covered by the distal end of the treatment device; and providing an image of a target on the skin when the distal end of the treatment device is covering the skin of the patient.

Processing logic makes a comparison between first image data and second image data of a dental arch and determines a plurality of spatial differences between a first representation of the dental arch in the first image data and a second representation of the dental arch in the second image data. The processing logic determines that a first spatial difference is attributable to scanner inaccuracy and that a second spatial difference is attributable to a clinical change to the dental arch. The processing logic generates a third representation of the dental arch that is a modified version of the second representation, wherein the first spatial difference is removed in the third representation, and wherein the third representation comprises a visual enhancement that accentuates the second spatial difference.

A system and method for optimising the preparation of dental restorations is provided. The system comprises a dental restoration surface processing unit, a dental restoration assessment unit, a database comprising a treatment parameters database and a processing protocols database, a processor operationally coupled to said dental restoration surface processing unit and a protocol selector. The method treats a dental restoration surface using the system and according to one or more selected processing protocol.

The present disclosure provides a method of predicting anatomical landmarks which includes: receiving a medical lateral head image of a subject; predicting landmarks in the medical lateral head image using a landmark prediction model configured to predict anatomical landmarks in the medical lateral head image; and providing an image with the landmark marked, and a device using the method.

A dental imager includes an elongated handle with a rotatable head coupled to a distal end thereof and having a central platform with a plurality of arcuate scanning arms pivotally coupled thereto by a hinge. The arcuate scanning arms are of a shape and size for general deployment around a tooth and each include at least one scanner and a roller guide that comfortably rolls along the surface of the tooth or gums to bias the scanners a desired distance from the surface of the tooth, conducive for imaging thereof. In this respect, such a dental imager may be used in a process to scan and record the contours of an intraoral surface, the data of which may be used to create a digital three-dimensional surface impression printable by a 3D printer or the like.

An image-processing method for marking plaque fluorescent reaction areas is provided, including: obtaining a first RGB image of a mouth region; obtaining a second RGB image of the mouth region; respectively converting the first RGB image and the second RGB image into a first HSV image and a second HSV image; obtaining a first average brightness value of the first HSV image and a second average brightness value of the second HSV image; normalizing the first average brightness value or the second average brightness value according the first average brightness value and the second average brightness value to obtain a normalized image; converting the normalized image into a third RGB image, and obtaining a plurality of pixel points of the dental plaque according to the third RGB image and the first RGB image or the second RGB image; and marking the pixel points in the third RGB image.