Immersive reality could assist clinicians with dental implant placement, according to a recent study.
Already, immersive technologies have been integrated into clinical dentistry. Physicians have used artificial intelligence technology to identify oral diseases, enhance imaging, assess dental implants, automate the design process for dental restorations and prostheses, and predict implant failure.
Immersive technologies, such as virtual reality and augmented reality, have been used to assist with preoperative planning, education, and training. Utilizing virtual elements holds the potential to enhance surgical procedures.
In a preliminary clinical report, published in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, researchers detailed the use of two immersive reality technologies—augmented reality with head-mounted display and mixed reality with a see-through tablet display—in preoperative and intraoperative dental implant placement.
The mixed reality strategy required registration software designed for a tablet display in order to properly align the digital elements. Despite creating a three-dimensional reference environment, continuous re-registration was needed. In addition, the light applied during surgery affected the software performance and interfered with the tracking of the infrared point-of-interest dots.
Conversely, the augmented reality strategy was designed for a head-mounted display, allowing for two- and three-dimensional data to be visualized in the clinician’s field of view. The augmented reality provided physicians with the ability to access patient data in a convenient and sterile environment; however, the head-mounted display could disconnect the clinicians from the real environment and cause spatial discordance in a way that the tablet display may not.
The use of immersive reality technologies allowed for less invasive surgery, avoidance of iatrogenic damage, and potentially higher accuracy, noted researchers. Although the findings could lead to the development of innovative dental applications, mixed reality may need to be optimized prior to its widespread implementation in a clinical setting.
The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
