Reliability of linear and angular dental measurements with the OrthoMechanics Sequential Analyzer.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of newly developed software in the assessment of orthodontic tooth movement 3 dimensionally.

METHODS

The sample consisted of pretreatment and posttreatment computed tomography scans and plaster dental models of 20 orthodontic patients treated with a hyrax palatal expander as a part of their comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Dental-arch measurements, including arch widths, tooth inclinations, and angulation parameters, were measured on the scans using InvivoDental 3D imaging software (version 5.1; Motionview, Hixson, Tenn). The plaster dental models were laser scanned and superimposed, and measurements were obtained digitally using the new software. Agreement between the digital models and the computed tomography measurements was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients, paired t tests, and Bland-Altman plots. A P value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

High agreement, a nonsignificant paired t test, and no indication of agreement discrepancies were observed for most of the measured parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

The results confirmed that the new software program offers a reliable tool for dental-arch measurements obtained from 3-dimensional laser-scanned models.