HKU Researchers Develop Smart Dental Crown Manufacturing with Generative AI

Hong Kong: Researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have developed a new method for smart dental crown manufacturing using generative artificial intelligence (AI). 

Dr James Tsoi’s team partnered with colleagues from the Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science to develop a 3D deep learning algorithm for producing accurate, personalized dental crowns that imitate natural teeth’s morphology and material requirements. The results of their research were published in Dental Materials in an article titled “Morphology and mechanical performance of dental crown designed by 3D-DCGAN”.

Using 3D-DCGAN to Design Dental Crowns

The study utilized an AI method called 3D-Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (3D-DCGAN) to design a dental crown. The AI-designed crowns were compared with natural teeth and with two other conventional CAD methods of crown design methods. 

The results revealed that the generative AI-designed crowns had the lowest 3D discrepancy, closest cusp angle, and similar occlusal contacts as compared to natural teeth. Biomechanical finite element analysis also revealed that by using lithium silicate, the AI-designed crown can come very close to achieving the expected lifespan of natural teeth.

“Many AI approaches design a ‘look alike’ product, but I believe this is the first project that functionalizes data-driven AI into real dental application. We hope this smart manufacturing technology will be the stepping-stone for driving Industry 4.0 in dentistry, which is vital to meet the challenges of ageing society and lack of dental personnel in Hong Kong,” said Dr Tsoi.

Improving Efficiency of Dental Workflows

Currently, the Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) digital workflow has significantly improved dentistry but still has its challenges.

 From the design to the manufacture of dental prostheses, the process is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and generates health and environmental hazards during the 3D printing and milling processes. The software uses a ‘tooth library’ that contains predefined crown templates to assist in generating prosthetic designs but further adjustments are still needed by the operator to meet individual conditions.

The researchers hope that this new smart manufacturing technique can become a more efficient and accurate alternative to the traditional method of creating customised dental crowns. 

The study was supported by the General Research Fund (GRF), the Innovation and Technology Fund Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme (ITF-MHKJFS), and the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF). Clinical trials for using this generative AI for dental crowns are underway. The team is also working on the applicability of this tool in other dental prostheses such as bridges and dentures.

Click here to read the full article: Morphology and mechanical performance of dental crown designed by 3D-DCGAN.