Method and system for providing indexing and cataloguing of orthodontic related treatment profiles and options

• US 8,095,383 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Arnone, Robert, Kuo, Eric, Bukaty, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): Sereboff, Neal
• Application Number:
  US11/929,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20080103825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 433/24, 433/126
• 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: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

Method and system for providing an orthodontic profile indexing and treatment plan including comparing an initial patient condition in each of a plurality of dentition categories with one or more reference conditions in each of the plurality of dentition categories, wherein each of the one or more reference conditions has a corresponding representation, selecting at least one reference condition in one or more of the plurality of dentition categories, where each selected reference condition is similar to the initial patient condition in a same dentition category, and generating a patient identifier based on the corresponding representations of each selected reference condition is provided.

Claims

1. A method of orthodontic profile indexing, comprising:

defining a matrix, via a computer, the matrix including a first field, a second field, and a number of third fields;

populating the matrix, via the computer, with;

a plurality of dentition categories each including a dentition dimension in the first field;

a plurality of malocclusion dentition components in the second field, each dentition component corresponding to a respective one of the dentition categories; and

a plurality of pre-defined options in each of the third fields, each pre-dined option including a level of malocclusion for a corresponding dentition dimension, wherein one of the pre-defined options includes a predetermined combination of different possible conditions for each dentition component, and wherein each pre-defined option includes an address;

generating a patient identifier, via the computer, based on the matrix, the patient identifier comprising a plurality of positions, wherein each of the positions corresponds to a respective one of the dentition categories, and wherein a value of each of the positions corresponds to the address of a respective one of the pre-defined options;

storing a plurality of treatment options in a database;

associating each of the treatment options with a number of combinations of the addresses; and

querying the database using the generated patient identifier to determine a number of treatment options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dentition dimensions in the first field include at least two of:

sagittal, vertical, horizontal, arch length, or a number of a tooth in a dentition of a patient.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a different character to each address in the matrix, wherein a combination of different characters represents the patient identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the patient identifier corresponds to an address in the database.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising matching the patient identifier to the address in the database to form a treatment plan based on one of the determined number of treatment options.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the patient identifier further includes generating a sub-address for each tooth of a patient, wherein the sub-address includes a number of positions each corresponding to a surface of a tooth, the number of surfaces including a mesial surface, an occlusal surface, a distal surface, a buccal surface, and a lingual surface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the number of positions includes a character corresponding to a condition of the respective surface of the tooth, wherein different possible conditions include malocclusions, amalgam fillings, materials used to restore the tooth, missing, and natural.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving dentition data of a patient comprising receiving the dentition data transmitted over a data network;

generating the patient identifier for the patient based on the received dentition data; and

determining the number of treatment options for the patient.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data network is the Internet.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting one of the number of treatment options for the patient.

11. An orthodontic profile indexing system, comprising:

a terminal; and

a data storage unit operatively coupled to the terminal;

wherein the terminal is configured to;

define a matrix, the matrix including a first field, a second field, and a number of third fields;

populate the matrix with;

a plurality of dentition categories each including a dentition dimension in the first field;

a plurality of malocclusion dentition components in the second field, each dentition component corresponding to a respective one of the dentition categories; and

a plurality of pre-defined options in each of the third fields, each pre-defined option including a level of malocclusion for a corresponding dentition dimension, wherein one of the pre-defined options includes a predetermined combination of different possible conditions for each dentition component, and wherein each pre-defined option includes an address;

generate a patient identifier based on the matrix, the patient identifier comprising a plurality of positions, wherein each of the positions corresponds to a respective one of the dentition categories, and wherein a value of each of the positions corresponds to the address of a respective one of the pre-defined options;

associate each of the treatment options with a number of combinations of the addresses; and

query the data storage unit using the generated patient identifier to determine a number of treatment options

wherein the data storage unit is configured to store the matrix.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the dentition dimensions in the first field include at least two of:

sagittal, vertical, horizontal, arch length, or a number of a tooth in a dentition of a patient.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal is one of a personal computer, workstation, and mainframe.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface input device operatively coupled to the terminal; and

a user interface output device operatively coupled to the terminal.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein a different character is assigned to each address in the matrix, wherein a combination of different characters represents the patient identifier.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the patient identifier corresponds to an address in the data storage unit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the terminal is configured to match the patient identifier to the address in the data storage unit to form a treatment plan based on one of the determined number of treatment options.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal is further configured to generate a sub-address for each tooth of a patient, wherein the sub-address includes a number of positions each corresponding to a surface of a tooth, the number of surfaces including a mesial surface, an occlusal surface, a distal surface, buccal surface, and a lingual surface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the number of positions includes a character corresponding to a condition of the respective surface of the tooth, wherein different possible conditions include malocclusions, amalgam fillings, materials used to restore the tooth, missing, and natural.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a central server coupled to the terminal and the data storage unit.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the terminal is configured to receive dentition data over a data network.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a central server operatively coupled with the terminal via the data network, the central server configured to compare the dentition data in one or more dentition categories with one or more reference conditions in respective dentition categories.