Monitoring of dentition

Abstract

A method for acquiring at least one two-dimensional image of a part of arches of a patient includes steps carried out by the patient or other person who is not a dental health professional, for example, including placing a dental separator in the mouth of the patient in order to separate the lips of the patient and improve the visibility of the teeth during the acquisition of said at least one two-dimensional image, and acquiring, in a mouth closed position and with a personal image acquisition apparatus, said at least one two-dimensional image.

1 . A method for acquiring at least one two-dimensional image of a part of the arches of a patient, said method comprising steps carried out by the patient or other person who is not a dental health professional including:
 placement of a dental separator in the mouth of the patient in order to separate the lips of the patient and improve the visibility of the teeth during the acquisition of said at least one two-dimensional image;   acquisition in a mouth closed position and with a personal image acquisition apparatus of said at least one two-dimensional image.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the dental separator comprises a support provided with a rim extending around an aperture and arranged such that during use of the dental separator the lips of the patient rest on said rim and the teeth of the patient are visible through said aperture. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said steps are carried out by the patient. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one two-dimensional image comprises an image acquired in a mouth closed position and an image acquired in a mouth open position. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one two-dimensional image comprises at least three images respectively corresponding to a front view, a right side view and a left side view of the teeth of the patient. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one two-dimensional image is a photograph or is extracted from video. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which, during the acquisition, the personal image acquisition apparatus is not immobilized, and the head of the patient is not immobilized. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the acquisition is achieved without recourse to a device for mechanically stabilizing the personal image acquisition apparatus. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the personal image acquisition apparatus is chosen from the group formed by a connected camera, a smart watch, a digital tablet, a portable 3D scanner, a mobile phone and a portable computer comprising a digital camera. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the personal image acquisition apparatus is a mobile phone. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the at least one two-dimensional image is acquired at an instant determined by the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one two-dimensional image is transmitted to a dental health professional for monitoring the positioning and/or the shape and/or the appearance of teeth of the patient. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one two-dimensional image is transmitted to a dental health professional for measuring the movement of teeth of the patient from the at least one two-dimensional image, and for automatically making an appointment with the dental health professional based on the amplitude and/or the nature of said movement. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the personal image acquisition apparatus is configured to display a plurality of images showing the positioning of teeth of the patient on different dates. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the personal image acquisition apparatus comprises polarizing means facilitating an approximate positioning of the personal image acquisition apparatus relative to the patient before the acquisition of the at least one two-dimensional image. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , in which the polarizing means comprises at least one reference which appears on a viewfinder or a screen of the personal image acquisition apparatus, and refers to a part of the patient. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , in which said at least one reference is a mark corresponding to the position of said part of the patient or takes the form of an outline in which said part of the patient must be positioned. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , in which the at least one reference is defined, at least partially, from information supplied by a three-dimensional digital reference model of at least part of the arches of the patient, or “initial reference model”. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , in which the reference is a view of the initial reference model and is presented according to the principles of augmented reality. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , in which the at least one reference is determined according to the patient and/or a therapeutic treatment of the patient. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 16 , in which the at least one reference does not move on the screen when the personal image acquisition apparatus is moving. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 15 , in which the at least one reference is a register mark borne by the dental separator. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the patient is guided by displaying arrows and/or by a succession of beeps whose frequency increases as the positioning of the personal image acquisition apparatus improves. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the at least one two-dimensional image is acquired at an instant determined according to a monitoring schedule. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the at least one two-dimensional image is transmitted to a dental health professional to determine an effectiveness of an orthodontic treatment. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one two-dimensional image is transmitted to a dental health professional to update a three-dimensional digital reference model of at least part of the arches of the patient, or “initial reference model”, and obtain a “final reference model”. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to the  claim 26 , wherein said at least one two-dimensional image is transmitted to a dental health professional for comparison of said initial and final models, and for use of said comparison in:
 displaying and/or measuring and/or detecting dental plaque, and/or a start of caries, and/or a microcracking, and/or wear;   displaying and/or measuring and/or detecting a change of volume of the teeth; and/or   assessing advisability of an interceptive treatment before any orthodontic treatment, notably to assess the benefit of an orthodontic treatment.   
     
     
         28 . A method to determine an effectiveness of an orthodontic treatment of a patient, said method comprising
 receiving at least one two-dimensional image of the patient's teeth from a personal image acquisition apparatus of the patient;   determination of said effectiveness from said at least one two-dimensional image; wherein
 at least one two-dimensional image is acquired in a mouth-closed position and at least one two-dimensional image is acquired in a mouth-open position, and 
 said at least one two-dimensional image additionally comprises at least three two-dimensional images corresponding to a front view, a right-side view and a left-side view of the teeth of the patient, respectively, and 
 the personal image acquisition apparatus is a connected camera, a mobile phone or a portable 3D scanner, and 
 the personal image acquisition apparatus comprises polarizing means facilitating the positioning of the personal image acquisition apparatus relative to the patient before the acquisition of the at least one two-dimensional image. 
   
     
     
         29 . The method according to the  claim 28 , in which the polarizing means comprises at least one reference which appears on a viewfinder or a screen of the personal image acquisition apparatus, and refers to a part of the patient. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to the  claim 28 , wherein the at least one two-dimensional image that is received was acquired while a dental separator was placed in the mouth of the patient, wherein:
 the personal image acquisition apparatus is a mobile phone, and   the dental separator comprises a support provided with a rim extending around an aperture and arranged such that the lips of the patient may rest on said rim and the teeth of the patient are visible through said aperture.