Method and system for providing dynamic orthodontic assessment and treatment profiles

• US 7,930,189 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kuo, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): SEREBOFF, NEAL
• Application Number:
  US11/549,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/002 Orthodontic computer assisted systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

Method and system for providing dynamically generated orthodontic profile and associated treatment information is provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically assessing an orthodontic condition, comprising:

determining an individual difficulty rating by quantifying a provider skill level needed to reach a treatment goal based on an orthodontic parameter for each of a plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters;

storing the individual difficulty rating for each of the plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters in a database;

receiving a plurality of orthodontic parameters of a patient;

performing a first database query for a plurality of treatment goal options based on the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient;

retrieving the plurality of treatment goal options from the database;

determining a composite difficulty rating for at least one of the plurality of treatment goal options by one of comparing a plurality of individual difficulty ratings and selecting a highest individual difficulty rating, or adding together the plurality of individual difficulty ratings; and

displaying the plurality of retrieved treatment goal options.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further including:

receiving a selected one of the plurality of treatment goal options;

performing a second database query based on a combination of the selected treatment goal option and the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient; and

generating a treatment plan for the selected treatment goal option and the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the treatment plan includes one or more of a treatment duration period information, a treatment appliance type information, a treatment skill level information, or a treatment precaution information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further including displaying the treatment plan.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further including:

receiving one of a modified orthodontic parameter of the patient or a modified treatment goal option; and

generating a modified treatment plan corresponding to one of a combination of the modified orthodontic parameter of the patient and the selected treatment plan, a combination of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient and the modified treatment goal option, or a combination of the modified orthodontic parameter of the patient and the modified treatment goal option.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further including correlating the treatment plan with one or more visual indicators.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the one or more visual indicators are associated with one or more of a color indicator, an alphanumeric indicator, a symbol indicator, or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient is associated with one of a crowding condition, a spacing condition, an overjet condition, an underbite condition, or an overbite condition.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient corresponds to an orthodontic condition in one of a sagittal, vertical, horizontal/transverse, or arch length parameters.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of treatment goal options includes one of a pre-restorative set-up state, an esthetic alignment state, an anterior function improvement state, or an optimal set-up state.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of treatment goal options retrieved is at least partially based on the composite difficulty rating levels.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a maximum difficulty rating, wherein retrieving the plurality of treatment goal options is at least partially based on the maximum difficulty rating.

11. A computer-implemented method for dynamically assessing an orthodontic condition, comprising:

determining an individual difficulty rating by quantifying a provider skill level needed to reach a treatment goal based on an orthodontic parameter for each of a plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters;

storing the individual difficulty rating for each of the plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters in a database;

receiving a plurality of orthodontic parameters of a patient;

performing a first database query for a plurality of treatment goal options based on the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient;

retrieving the plurality of treatment goal options from the database;

determining a composite difficulty rating for at least one of the plurality of treatment goal options by one of comparing a plurality of individual difficulty ratings and selecting a highest individual difficulty rating, or adding together the plurality of individual difficulty ratings;

displaying the plurality of retrieved treatment goal options;

wherein when a change to one of the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient is received, performing an updated database query based on the received change to the one of the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient to retrieve a modified plurality of treatment goal options.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the updated database query is performed automatically in response to each received change to the one of the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further including:

receiving a selected one of the plurality of treatment goal options or modified treatment goal options;

performing a second database query based on a combination of the selected treatment goal option or modified treatment goal option and the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient; and

generating a treatment plan based on the second database query.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 wherein the treatment plan includes one or more of, a treatment duration period information, a treatment appliance type information, a treatment skill level information, or a treatment precaution information.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further including displaying one or more of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient, the plurality of treatment goal options, modified treatment goal options, or the treatment plan.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further including correlating the treatment plan with one or more visual indicators.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the one or more visual indicators are associated with one or more of a color indicator, an alphanumeric indicator, a symbol indicator, or combinations thereof.

18. The computer-implemented of claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient is associated with one of a crowding condition, a spacing condition, an overjet condition, an underbite condition, or an overbite condition.

19. The computer-implemented of claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient corresponds to an orthodontic condition in one of a sagittal, vertical, horizontal/transverse, or arch length parameters.

20. The computer-implemented of claim 11 wherein one of the plurality of treatment goal options corresponds to one of a pre-restorative set-up state, an esthetic alignment state, an anterior function improvement state, or an optimal set-up state.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of treatment goal options retrieved is at least partially based on the composite difficulty rating.

21. A system for providing dynamic orthodontic assessment, comprising:

a data storage unit including a database; and

a data processing unit operatively coupled to the data storage unit, the data processing unit configured to determine an individual difficulty rating by quantifying a provider skill level needed to reach a treatment goal based on an orthodontic parameter for each of a plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters, store the individual difficulty rating for each of the plurality of combinations of treatment goals and orthodontic parameters in a database, receive a plurality of orthodontic parameters of a patient, perform a first database query for a plurality of treatment goal options based on the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient, retrieve the plurality of treatment goal options from the database, determine a composite difficulty rating for at least one of the plurality of treatment goal options by one of comparing a plurality of individual difficulty ratings and selecting a highest individual difficulty rating, or adding together the plurality of individual difficulty ratings, and display the plurality of retrieved treatment goal options.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the data processing unit is further configured to receive a selected one of the plurality of treatment goal options, perform a second database query based on a combination of the selected treatment goal option and the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient, and generate a treatment plan corresponding to the selected treatment goal option and the received plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient.

23. The system claim 22 wherein the treatment plan includes one or more of, a treatment duration period information, a treatment appliance type information, a treatment skill level information, or a treatment precaution information.

24. The system of claim 22 further including a display unit operatively coupled to the data processing unit and configured to display one or more of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient, the plurality of treatment goal options, or the treatment plan.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the data processing unit is further configured to receive one of a modified orthodontic parameter of the patient or a modified treatment goal options, and to generate a modified treatment plan corresponding to one of a combination of the modified orthodontic parameter of the patient and the selected treatment plan, a combination of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient and the modified treatment goal option, or a combination of the modified orthodontic parameter of the patient and the modified treatment goal option.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein the data processing unit is further configured to correlate the treatment plan with one or more visual indicators.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the one or more visual is indicators are stored in the data storage unit, and are associated with one or more of a color indicator, an alphanumeric indicator, a symbol indicator, or combinations thereof.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient is associated with one of a crowding condition, a spacing condition, an overjet condition, an underbite condition, or an overbite condition.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein at least one of the plurality of orthodontic parameters of the patient corresponds to an orthodontic condition in one of a sagittal, vertical, horizontal/transverse, or arch length parameters.

30. The system of claim 21 wherein the plurality of treatment goal options includes one of a pre-restorative set-up state, an esthetic alignment state, an anterior function improvement state, or an optimal set-up state.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to retrieve the plurality of treatment goal options based at least partially on the composite difficulty rating.