DETERMINING TOOTH OCCLUSAL SURFACE RELIEF INDICATOR BY MEANS OF AUTOMATED 3D SHAPE ANALYSIS

Determining occlusal surface relief indicator plays an important role in odontometric tooth shape analysis. An analysis of the parameters of surface relief indicators provides valuable information about closure of dental arches ( occlusion) and changes in structure of teeth in lifetime. Such data is relevant for dentistry or anthropology applications. Descriptive techniques commonly used for surface relief evaluation have limited precision which, as a result, does not provide for reliability of conclusions about structure and functioning of teeth. Parametric techniques developed for such applications need special facilities and are time-consuming which limits their spread and ease to access. Nevertheless the use of 3D models, obtained by photogrammetric techniques, allows attaining required measurements accuracy and has a potential for process automation. We introduce new approaches for determining tooth occlusal surface relief indicator and provide data on efficiency in use of different indicators in natural attrition evaluation.