117,405 research outputs found
A colour-based image segmentation method for the measurement of masticatory performance in older adults
Masticatory efficiency in older adults is an important parameter for the assessment of their oral health and quality of life. This study presents a measurement method based on the automatic segmentation of two-coloured chewing gum based on a K-means clustering algorithm. The solution proposed aims to quantify the mixed areas of colour in order to evaluate masticatory performance in different dental conditions. The samples were provided by 'two-colour mixing' tests, currently the most used technique for the evaluation of masticatory efficacy, because of its simplicity, low acquisition times and reduced cost. The image analysis results demonstrated a high discriminative power, providing results in an automatic manner and reducing errors caused by manual segmentation. This approach thus provides a feasible and robust solution for the segmentation of chewed samples. Validation was carried out by means of a reference software, demonstrating a good correlation (R2 = 0.64) and the higher sensitivity of the proposed method (+75 %). Tests on patients with different oral conditions demonstrated that the K-means segmentation method enabled the automatic classification of patients with different masticatory conditions, providing results in a shorter time period (20 chewing cycles instead of 50)
Electronic speckle pattern interferometry on human teeth: a study on undamaged and restored incisors
Dental care access and the elderly: What is the role of teledentistry? A systematic review
A high level of unmet oral health needs is very common among elderly people. In a society that is getting older and that has been hit so hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the development of new strategies aimed at enhancing general and oral health status should be crucial in order to promote healthy aging. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the feasibility of Teledentistry in communities or in a domiciliary setting where elderly people live. A structured and systematic research was performed on the major electronic databases for studies published in English until 30 June 2020: the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL databases. A total of 13 articles were identified through database searching using combinations of keywords. Out of 13 papers, eight abstracts were reviewed to assess if they were coherent with the aim of the study, and full texts were retrieved. After abstract reviews, seven articles were selected for closer inspection. Of these, six were assessed for eligibility. Four papers were aimed at assessing patients and health practitioners experiences about Teledentistry, three studies reported a cost analysis and cost description of Teledentistry in residential aged care facilities, and two studies investigated the feasibility and accuracy of Teledentistry for diagnosis dental pathology. The implementation of Teledentistry in residential aged care facilities and in home-assistance programs could be a viable tool for the management of oral care in people who cannot access dental care
Trapianto di epitelio della mucosa orale ingegnerizzata in due pazienti con difetto dei fornici vestibolari
Anomalie dentarie e della mucosa orale nelle cheratodermie palmo plantari ereditarie (CPP) e nella discheratosi congenita
A novel color-based segmentation method for the objective measurement of human masticatory performance
The aims of this study were to propose an automatic color-based segmentation method to separate mixed and unmixed colors of images that were derived from the application of the two-color chewing-gum mixing test and to determine the validity of this method in the assessment of masticatory performance (MP). Fifty young adults (mean age: 24.3 ± 2.7 years) were enrolled in the study. Each participant chewed a double-colored chewing gum for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 masticatory cycles. Boluses were collected and flattened. Both sides of each bolus were photographed, and images were processed using a novel k-means clustering method. The specimens corresponding to 20 masticatory cycles were re-analyzed by the same investigator in order to evaluate the intra-rater reliability and by a second investigator to assess the inter-rater reliability. To assess the test–retest reliability, 25% of the participants performed a second test with 20 chewing cycles. Each bolus was subjectively scored as either poorly, moderately, or highly mixed by an investigator to assess the construct validity. The percentage of mixed colors in the samples increased with an increase in the number of strokes. Significative differences were detected when varying from 5 to 10 strokes, from 10 to 20 strokes, and from 30 to 50 strokes (p < 0.05). The Pearson correlation coefficient explained these relations (r = 0.78, p < 0.05). The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed a good correlation concerning both the intra-and inter-rater reliability (r = 0.85 and r = 0.77, respectively) and an excellent test–retest correlation (r = 0.93). The subjective assessment was coherent with the digital one. The proposed digital method was proved to be able to automatically quantify the percentage of the mixed color area by providing quantitative data with minimal human interaction
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