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According to "Dr. Wo" Wm. Randol Womack, DDS Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine

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You Are Now Entering the Third Dimension


Wm. Randol Womack, DDS
Editorial Director,
Orthotown Magazine		 The 3rd International Congress on 3D Dental Imaging was held June 19-20, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois. Attendance was equally as impressive as the agenda of topics and line-up of speakers. As an orthodontist I was in the minority (along with a few oral surgeons, endodontists and periodontists), as most of the attendees were restorative dentists who were doing a lot of implant cases. However, the presentations were very interesting, not just from a surgeon’s or periodontist’s standpoint in regard to the placement of implants but how 3D imaging was becoming the “standard of care” for endodontics as well.

Two of the speakers were orthodontists Dr. James Mah and Dr. Ed Lin. Dr. Mah’s presentation addressed the “truth” about 3D imaging in dentistry and Dr Lin’s presentation showed the application of 3D imaging to SureSmile orthodontic treatment (Both doctors have contributed 3D imaging articles for this issue).

As with any meeting of this type there were vendors to occupy our time during breaks, lunch and the after-meeting cocktail hour. The most prominent vendors, of course, were Imaging Sciences (i-CAT) and Gendex (GXCB-500), along with many third-party software companies who had implant applications or even orthodontic treatment applications (Insignia). For orthodontics, the DICOM evaluation preference seemed to be the Anatomage program, although it seemed a few oral surgeons were captivated by it as well.

Two of the scheduled presentations were of particular interest to me. The first one, “A Systematic Approach to Interpreting DICOM within the Field of View” by Dr. Bruce Howerton, impressed me on how much information is obtained by a 3D scan and how much there is for one to learn about interpreting the data. The other presentation I found fascinating was given by malpractice attorney Art Curley, and it was called, “Comparative liability issues, misreading a scan vs. not taking one at all – the $1,000,000 exposure?” The jury is still out on the issue of liability relative to taking or requesting a 3D scan on an orthodontic patient. Like the song from C+C Music Factory, “Things That Make You Go Hmmm...”

As the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Technology Seminar of 2008 kicked off my quest for better understanding of how technology was impacting orthodontic treatment, the recent 3rd International Congress on 3D Dental Imaging really piqued my awareness of how this technology will be affecting orthodontic practice and the call to become more educated about the information contained in the DICOM files of a 3D scan. There is much to learn and there is a protocol developing as 3D imaging becomes closer to a “standard of care” acceptance.

I can only speculate on what will be on the agenda of the 4th International Congress on 3D Imaging that will be held June 25-26, 2010, in La Jolla, California. I anticipate that more orthodontists will have an interest in the updated information that will be presented at that meeting.

This issue of Orthotown Magazine presents a strong focus on 3D imaging. We have compiled an updated chart of the machines that provide 3D images similar to the one we did in our June 2008 issue. I think you will find the articles by Drs. Ed Lin and James Mah very timely and informative.

Also, I have visited with several knowledgeable experts in this area (from radiology and orthodontics) to get their “take” on the impact 3D imaging is going to have on the practice of orthodontics. There are a lot of unanswered questions about using or requesting 3D images for your patients and we are attempting to scratch the surface in arriving at the answers to these very important questions. This issue of Orthotown Magazine is most certainly not the final word on 3D technology, as it is continually evolving and presenting new, intricate challenges and amazing opportunities for our practices and patients. Rather, let this issue be your starting point for those of you starting the process of incorporating this type of technology into your practice.
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