Dentists' Attitudes and Perspectives on Viewing Cone-beam Computed Tomography of Impacted Teeth in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Introduction: Three-dimensional (3-D) radiographic imaging has transformed the dental field since its inception by giving clinicians a wealth of data impossible to glean from two-dimensional (2-D) imaging. However, current viewing modalities were designed for 2-D and analog data, with no way to view 3-D imaging in its natural 3-D state, such as the case with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Virtual reality (VR) has become increasingly widespread in recent years and poises itself as a new potential tool for viewing volumetric datasets.Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate dentists’ attitudes and perspectives on using VR medical imaging application Medicalholodeck to view CBCT of impacted teeth using Oculus Quest 2 immersive VR headsets. This study also aims to investigate whether viewing 3-D data in VR allows for improved visualization and/or efficiency compared to 2-D viewing modalities. Methods: CBCT datasets of three patients with impacted teeth were uploaded to Quest 2 headsets. Participants underwent a VR tutorial and viewing session to become familiar with navigating 3-D data in VR and then completed a survey on their experience. As a proof-of-concept study, data were descriptive in nature and no statistical hypotheses were tested. Results: Results revealed varying perceptions of visualization and/or accuracy for impacted teeth and their surrounding craniofacial structures when viewed in VR. For many factors that oral surgeons, orthodontists, and periodontists consider in treating cases with impacted teeth, clinicians found VR to be beneficial, especially when used in conjunction with traditional 2-D viewing modalities. Clinicians perceived VR to provide heightened global visualization with its immersive capabilities, to be easy to use, and highly enjoyable. Current shortcomings of VR include its accompanying learning curve, mediocre resolution, and decreased ability to visualize small structures. Conclusions: Few studies have been completed thus far evaluating VR as a tool for viewing 3-D data in dentistry. Data from this study showed VR has promise for enhanced viewing of CBCT images, despite not currently being perceived to improve clinicians’ efficiency. Dentists believed VR provided improved visualization for certain morphological characteristics and will likely be most useful as an adjunctive tool for complex cases. As this study was descriptive in nature, further in-depth research is needed to provide additional insight on the clinical utility of viewing 3-D data in VR.