3D printing of teeth from micro-CT scans for the purpose of research and training

在牙科教育中，在患者第一次接受治疗之前，明显需要进行临床前的实践培训。多年来，已经开发了许多技术来教授学生解剖和进行各种牙科治疗。人工牙被广泛使用，并被广泛地复制了透明树脂，其中的牙髓腔和根管可以通过不同的颜色区分开来。然而，拔牙仍然是临床前牙髓训练中最流行的技术之一。这两种技术各有优缺点，标准做法是在临床前训练期间将人工模型和拔牙相结合。拔牙，多年来，专门用于牙科教育。然而，使用拔牙有其缺点；如交叉感染的可能性，对学生有潜在的传染性；这些牙齿的不可获得性和拔牙的解剖变异性，意味着对学生的有效评估是不统一的。目前，用于教学的人工牙模型主要采用不透明树脂和透明树脂来复制天然牙的特征。假牙的好处是它们没有感染的风险，可以大量使用，可以通过其均匀性进行验证评估，可以提供不同的解剖学挑战，并且可以三维（3D）打印到训练模型中，用于基于模拟的医学教育。然而，根据以前的研究，学生们认为假牙是不令人满意的，因为这些牙齿的物理特性，使它们比天然牙齿更难治疗。尽管有报道的困难，但学生们认识到了优点，并提出了改进建议，例如树脂牙的硬度，以反映自然组织的硬度。由本科生进行的牙髓治疗失败率很高，这证实了在对患者进行治疗之前需要进行实际的临床前培训。评估缺乏统一性，质疑评估的有效性。如果为学生提供统一的牙齿，就可以进行有效的评估，并且具有与拔出的人类牙齿相似特性的人工牙齿将使学生为现实生活环境做好准备。该研究的主要目的是利用从x射线微断层扫描（XMT）收集的数据，通过3D打印技术制造一颗人工牙齿，用于临床前培训。为了克服传统人工牙的缺点，为牙科学生提供真实的临床治疗模拟，人工牙必须具有与拔牙相似的机械和物理特性。1. 使用XMT从提取的人类牙齿中收集高清数据集，并将这些数据3D打印成3D模型。开发一种将提取的人类牙齿数据集转换为可操作的3D模型文件的方法，适用于3D打印。测量并记录拔牙的力学性能，并与人工牙进行比较。开发一种材料，模仿人类牙齿的机械性能，可用于3D打印。创造一颗人造牙齿，模仿拔出的人类牙齿的物理特性，用于牙科训练，可用于标准化当前的评估方法。

Within dental education, there is a distinct need for hands-on pre-clinical training before a patient's treatment is carried out for the first time. Throughout the years, numerous techniques have been developed to teach students the anatomy and to perform various dental treatments. Artificial teeth are used and have widely been replicated with transparent resins in which the pulp chamber and root canals are distinguishable with different colours. However, extracted human teeth remain one of the most popular techniques used during pre-clinical endodontic training. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages, with the standard practice being a combination of artificial models and extracted human teeth during pre-clinical training. Extracted teeth, for many years, were exclusively used in dental education. However, the use of extracted teeth has its disadvantages; such as the possibility of cross-infection, being potentially infectious to students; the unavailability of these teeth and anatomical variability of extracted teeth, meaning valid assessment for students is not uniform. Currently, artificial teeth models have been made using opaque and transparent resin to reproduce features of natural teeth for teaching purposes. The benefits of artificial teeth are that they do not have the risk of infection, are available in large quantities, allow for validated assessment through their uniformity, can be different to offer anatomical challenges, and can be three-dimensionally (3D) printed into training models for simulation-based medical education. However, based on previous studies, students perceived artificial teeth as unsatisfactory because of the physical characteristics of these teeth, making them more difficult to treat compared to natural teeth. Despite the reported difficulties, students recognised the advantages and suggested improvements, such as the hardness of resin teeth, to reflect the hardness of natural tissues. Endodontic procedures performed by undergraduates' have a high frequency of failure, confirming the need for hands-on pre-clinical training before treatments on patients. The lack of uniformity in assessment, questions the validity of assessments. If students were provided with uniform teeth, a valid assessment could be carried out, and an artificial tooth with similar properties to extracted human teeth would prepare students for real-life environments.The main aim of the study is to create an artificial tooth using data collected from X-ray microtomography (XMT) and is manufactured by 3D printing techniques, for pre-clinical training. The artificial teeth must have similar mechanical and physical properties as extracted teeth to overcome the drawbacks of traditional artificial teeth and to offer dental students a realistic simulation of clinical treatments. 1. Collect high definition datasets using XMT from extracted human teeth, with the premise of 3D printing this data into 3D models.2. Develop a method of converting extracted human teeth datasets into a workable 3D model file, suitable for 3D printing.3. Measure and record the mechanical properties of extracted teeth and to compare to artificial teeth.4. Develop a material/s that mimic the mechanical properties of an extracted human tooth that can be used in 3D printing.5. Create an artificial tooth that mimics the physical properties of extracted human teeth to be used in dental training that can be used to standardise current assessment methods.