INTERACTIVE 3-D ATLAS OF HUMAN TOOTH ANATOMY

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's abstract verbatim): This project will significantly improve clinical results in dental treatment by providing the first complete volume (3-D) data of real tooth anatomy. We will coordinate the development of acquiring, storing, manipulating and displaying complex images of teeth. The result will be the most sophisticated and comprehensive body of knowledge on the variations of human tooth anatomy in existence. Three phases of research will be conducted. First, establish a method of collecting precise volume data using ultra-high resolution x-ray computed tomography. Second, develop and refine the software to reconstruct the required views with optimal volume and surface rendering. Third, design and develop a format for interactively presenting a comprehensive set of tooth anatomy data either on CD-ROM or via the internet. Step I will be completed by the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at Henry Ford Health systems. They are providing the "micro-CT" instrument to acquire the digital data. Step II is in collaboration with The National Biocomputational Center at the Stanford University Medical Center, experts in 3-D medical image manipulation and rendering. Step III will be completed by the authors who have extensive experience in dental education, computer-based training, and producing web-based medical education programs. Using personal computers, academics, scientists, students, postdoctoral candidates and practicing dentists will be able to dynamically manipulate, examine and "enter" individual teeth from any direction to reveal their external and internal structures and the detail of their interrelationships. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: This research has moderate commercial potential but significant societal importance. The data that results will be unique in the academic and scientific world. We will make the data sets available to researchers from academia and industry through a non-financial licensing agreement with the National Library of Medicine and through the National Library of Medicine and through the National Biocomputation Center at Stanford University. We expect that it will currently be a required purchase by the 4200 freshman dental students in the 55 US dental schools. We also expect a large international market.