TSegLab: Multi-stage 3D dental scan segmentation and labeling

Comput Biol Med. 2024 Dec 20:185:109535. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109535. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

This study introduces a novel deep learning approach for 3D teeth scan segmentation and labeling, designed to enhance accuracy in computer-aided design (CAD) systems. Our method is organized into three key stages: coarse localization, fine teeth segmentation, and labeling. In the teeth localization stage, we employ a Mask-RCNN model to detect teeth in a rendered three-channel 2D representation of the input scan. For fine teeth segmentation, each detected tooth mesh is isomorphically mapped to a 2D harmonic parameter space and segmented with a Mask-RCNN model for precise crown delineation. Finally, for labeling, we propose a graph neural network that captures both the 3D shape and spatial distribution of the teeth, along with a new data augmentation technique to simulate missing teeth and teeth position variation during training. The method is evaluated using three key metrics: Teeth Localization Accuracy (TLA), Teeth Segmentation Accuracy (TSA), and Teeth Identification Rate (TIR). We tested our approach on the Teeth3DS dataset, consisting of 1800 intraoral 3D scans, and achieved a TLA of 98.45%, TSA of 98.17%, and TIR of 97.61%, outperforming existing state-of-the-art techniques. These results suggest that our approach significantly enhances the precision and reliability of automatic teeth segmentation and labeling in dental CAD applications. Link to the project page: https://crns-smartvision.github.io/tseglab.

Keywords: 3D intraoral scan; Dental scan segmentation; Graph neural network; Teeth classification; Teeth segmentation; Teeth3DS.