This study evaluated reliability and accuracy of interproximal space measurement in two different orthodontic tooth-segmentation programs in comparison with clinical space measurement and assessed the minimum distance threshold ensuring accuracy. From 6586 digital dental models, eligible digital dental images (DDIs) were selected based on anterior spacing, intra-oral scans, and clinical space (CS) measurement in vivo. Interproximal spaces were virtually measured using two programs: semi-automatic (VSS; Orthoanalyzer®) and full-automatic (VSF; DentOne®). Accuracy was analyzed against CS as the gold standard, and the minimum distance threshold for reliable measurement was explored. In 85 interproximal spaces from 22 adult patients, both programs showed excellent repeatability (VSS, ICC=0. 922; VSF, ICC = 0. 948). Agreement between VSS and CS was good (ICC = 0. 785 to 0. 882), while agreement between VSF and CS was consistently good (ICC ≈ 0. 884). Mean VS values (VSS, 0. 11; VSF, 0. 13 mm) were lower than CS (0. 21 mm, p 0. 20 mm, though with slight underestimation compared to clinical measurements. Clinical assessment could be supplemented to enhance virtual orthodontic planning, particularly for narrow interproximal spaces.
Choi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.