Damage detection in a human premolar tooth from image processing to finite element analysis

Digital image acquisition devices allow to quantitatively assess changes in teeth by image analysis techniques. A computerized two-step procedure was generated and applied for damage detection. In the first step, dental images were digitally processed by a segmentation method in order to identify the damage. The considered morphological properties were the enamel thickness, the number of fragments in which the enamel is chipped, and the Euler number. The information retrieved by the data processing of the section images allowed to orient the stress analysis towards selected portions of the tooth. In the second step, the stress states were analyzed exclusively in the critical zones by the finite element method, in order to numerically evaluate the risk of failure through the quantification of the von Mises stress. Coupling image processing and stress analyses turned out to be a reliable tool for damage identification in tooth mechanics.