Interactive Virtual Prototypes for Testing the Interaction with new Products

A key task in orthodontic treatment planning is to align the teeth in a given lower and upper arch so as to establish an ideal occlusion (i.e., contact relationship), subject to certain dental constraints.A simulation-based approach is introduced to establish a near-optimal occlusion based on certain dental constraints that are defined using features on tooth surfaces (e.g., cusps, ridges, incisal edges etc.).The alignment process is modeled as the simulation of a hypothetical spring-mass system where masses representing teeth are connected and influenced by springs representing dental constraints.The set of constraints chosen is based on well-known guidelines to achieve normal occlusion and to detect the most common type of orthodontic errors.The design and implementation of such a simulation-based system are discussed and experimental results are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach.