Method and device for the navigation-assisted dental treatment

• US 6,640,128 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2001
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Original Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Inventors: Birkenbach, Rainer, Vilsmeier, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIEKER, AMANDA FLYNN
• Application Number:
  US09/834,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 433/215, 433/213, 433/68-71, 600/427, 600/411, 600/414, 600/426
• US Class Current: 600/427
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3979 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/506 for diagnosis of nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/084 of implanting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0053 Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam

Abstract

A method for assisting in a dental treatment, wherein: a three-dimensional volume data set for the tooth and/or jaw area of a patient is produced by means of an imaging method, for example tomographic imaging; the tooth and/or jaw area is registered and/or referenced by means of a computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system using the volume data set; instruments and apparatus for treatment are registered and/or referenced relative to said computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system, and positionally tracked; and wherein said navigation and/or tracking system supplies information for assisting and/or guiding the treatment before, during or after the treatment, by means of an output unit. It further concerns a device for implementing the method and the application of the device for assisting in a dental treatment.

Claims

1. A method for assisting in a dental treatment, comprising the steps of:

producing a three-dimensional volume data set for a tooth and/or jaw area of a patient by means of an imaging method;

registering and/or referencing the tooth and/or jaw area by means of a computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system using the volume data set;

registering and/or referencing at least one instrument and/or apparatus for treatment relative to the computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system;

tracking the position of the at least one instrument and/or apparatus; and

supplying from the navigation and/or tracking system information for assisting and guiding the dental treatment by means of an output unit before, during or after the dental treatment;

wherein the tooth and/or jaw area, as well as a desired positional course of an instrument planned to begin with or inter-operatively, are displayed during the treatment on a screen while the actual positional course of the instrument is tracked, a visual and/or acoustic warning signal is outputted when the desired positional course and actual positional course of the instrument deviate, and a new desired positional course is calculated and outnutted when the desired positional course and actual positional course of the instrument deviate.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the position of the tooth and/or jaw area is also tracked by the navigation and/or tracking system.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a navigation and/or tracking system is used which registers and/or references a data set comprising three-dimensional data for the tooth and jaw area, by means of one of the following methods:

referencing and/or registering the data set by means of anatomical landmarks;

referencing and/or registering the data set by means of artificial landmarks;

referencing and/or registering the data set by means of a surface-matching technology based on anatomical scanning;

referencing and/or registering the data set by means of a surface-matching technique based on non-contact scanning.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the position of the tooth and/or jaw area is tracked using a dynamic tracking method.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein an optical navigation and/or tracking system is used which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area and/or the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using markers or arrangements of markers and a camera system.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a magnetic field based navigation and/or tracking system is used which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area and/or the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using an external magnetic field and induction-sensitive elements.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein an optical navigation and/or tracking system is used which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area, and wherein a magnetic field based navigation and/or tracking system is used which is coupled to it regarding the navigation and/or tracking, and which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using an external magnetic field and induction-sensitive elements.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional volume data set is obtained by one or more of the following methods:

computer tomography, nuclear spin tomography, PET, SPECT, ultrasonic imaging.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the treatment is further assisted by intra-operative imaging methods.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a screen output is provided, on the basis of one or more of the following representations:

a two and three-dimensional representation of the registered and/or referenced and positionally determined tooth and/or jaw area as well as of the instruments including desired and actual positional courses;

OPG views;

digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs).

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the treatment is carried out by instruments which are fully or partly guided by a robot which is registered and/or referenced and positionally tracked in the navigation and/or tracking system, and controlled by the system.

12. A device for assisting in a dental treatment, comprising a navigation and/or tracking system which supplies information for assisting and/or guiding the treatment during the treatment by means of an output unit, also instruments and apparatus for treatment which are registered and/or referenced relative to the computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system and positionally tracked, characterized by a device producing a three-dimensional volume data set for the tooth and/or jaw area of a patient by means of an imaging method, and registering and/or referencing the tooth and/or jaw area by means of a computer-assisted navigation and/or tracking system which uses the volume data set, and wherein the output unit is a screen display, on which the tooth and/or jaw area, as well as a desired positional course of an instrument planned to begin with or inter-operatively, is displayed during the treatment, while the actual positional course of the instrument is positionally tracked, and further comprising an output device which outputs a visual and/or acoustic warning signal when the desired positional course and the actual positional course of the instrument deviate, whereupon a new desired positional course can be calculated and displayed.

13. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a device with which the tooth and/or jaw area is also tracked by said navigation and/or tracking system.

14. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it comprises an optical navigation and tracking system which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area and/or the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using markers or arrangements of markers and a camera system.

15. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic field based navigation and tracking system, which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area and/or the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using an external magnetic field and induction-sensitive elements.

16. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it comprises an optical navigation and tracking system which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the tooth and/or jaw area, and in that it comprises a magnetic field based navigation and tracking system coupled to it regarding navigation and/or tracking, which registers and/or references and positionally tracks the instruments or apparatus for treatment, using an external magnetic field and induction-sensitive elements.

17. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it further comprises devices which assist in the treatment with intra-operative imaging methods.

18. The device as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a robot which fully or partly guides the instruments during the treatment, is registered and/or referenced in the navigation and/or tracking system and positionally tracked, and is controlled by the system.

19. The application of a device as set forth in claim 12, for assisting in a dental treatment.