Intraoral image processing device and intraoral image processing method

1 . An intraoral image processing method comprising:

obtaining three-dimensional (3D) intraoral data on an oral cavity comprising teeth and a gingiva; and

generating an outer surface of a target tooth that is a subject of a prosthesis from among the teeth included in the 3D intraoral data,

wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises automatically generating a portion corresponding to a void area between the target tooth and at least one adjacent tooth adjacent to the target tooth,

wherein the void area comprises an unscanned area between the target tooth and the at least one adjacent tooth, where there is no scanned data, and

wherein the portion corresponding to the void area is generated based on a virtual margin line by connecting a first tooth point and a second tooth point, wherein the first tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a first gingiva point on a boundary of a first gingiva, and the second tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a second gingiva point on a boundary of a second gingiva.

2 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises generating the portion corresponding to the void area, based on the 3D intraoral data.

3 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 2 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises generating the portion corresponding to the void area, based on data adjacent to the void area in the 3D intraoral data.

4 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises:

identifying a virtual margin line between the target tooth and the gingiva, based on the 3D intraoral data; and

generating the outer surface, based on the target tooth and the identified virtual margin line.

5 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 4 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises generating a portion of the outer surface corresponding to the void area, based on a portion of the virtual margin line corresponding to the void area.

6 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 4 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises:

identifying a virtual target tooth by identifying a virtual bottom face corresponding to a bottom face of the target tooth based on the virtual margin line, and connecting the virtual bottom face to the target tooth; and

generating the outer surface, based on the virtual target tooth and the virtual margin line.

7 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 6 , wherein the identifying of the virtual target tooth comprises:

identifying the virtual bottom face, by expanding a reference surface identified based on the virtual margin line in a direction opposite to an occlusal direction of the target tooth; and

identifying the virtual target tooth, by merging the virtual bottom face with the target tooth.

8 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 7 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises:

aligning the virtual target tooth with the virtual margin line, and dividing the virtual target tooth into areas along the virtual margin line; and

generating the outer surface, by identifying an area in the occlusal direction from among the areas of the virtual target tooth.

9 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 7 , wherein the identifying of the virtual target tooth comprises identifying the virtual target tooth by merging the virtual bottom face with the target tooth and smoothing a merged area.

10 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 6 , further comprising:

identifying an expanded reference surface, by expanding a reference surface identified based on the virtual margin line;

identifying a virtual adjacent gingiva for a gingiva adjacent to the target tooth, by merging the expanded reference surface with a surface obtained by expanding the expanded reference surface in a direction opposite to an occlusal direction; and

generating the outer surface, based on the virtual adjacent gingiva and the virtual target tooth.

11 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 10 , wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises generating the outer surface of the target tooth, by booleaning the virtual adjacent gingiva and the virtual target tooth.

12 . The intraoral image processing method of claim 4 , wherein the identifying of the virtual margin line comprises:

for each of points of the target tooth, selecting at least one of the points of the target tooth, by identifying a point whose distance to at least one of points included in a boundary of the gingiva is equal to or less than a preset threshold value, based on data corresponding to the boundary of the gingiva and the target tooth in the 3D intraoral data; and

identifying the virtual margin line by connecting the selected at least one point.

13 . An intraoral image processing device comprising:

a memory storing one or more instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to

obtain three-dimensional (3D) intraoral data on an oral cavity comprising teeth and a gingiva, and

generate an outer surface of a target tooth that is a subject of a prosthesis from among the teeth included in the 3D intraoral data,

wherein a portion corresponding to a void area between the target tooth and at least one adjacent tooth adjacent to the target tooth is automatically generated,

wherein the void area comprises an unscanned area between the target tooth and the at least one adjacent tooth, where there is no scanned data, and

wherein the portion corresponding to the void area is generated based on a virtual margin line by connecting a first tooth point and a second tooth point, wherein the first tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a first gingiva point on a boundary of a first gingiva, and the second tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a second gingiva point on a boundary of a second gingiva.

14 . The intraoral image processing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to generate a portion corresponding to the void area, based on the 3D intraoral data.

15 . The intraoral image processing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to

identify a virtual margin line between the target tooth and the gingiva, based on the 3D intraoral data, and

generate the outer surface, based on the target tooth and the identified virtual margin line.

16 . The intraoral image processing device of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to

identify a virtual target tooth by identifying a virtual bottom face corresponding to a bottom face of the target tooth based on the virtual margin line, and connecting the virtual bottom face to the target tooth, and

generate the outer surface, based on the virtual target tooth and the virtual margin line.

17 . The intraoral image processing device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to

identify the virtual bottom face, by expanding a reference surface identified based on the virtual margin line in a direction opposite to an occlusal direction of the target tooth, and

identify the virtual target tooth, by merging the virtual bottom face with the target tooth.

18 . The intraoral image processing device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the memory to

identify an expanded reference surface, by expanding a reference surface identified based on the virtual margin line,

identify a virtual adjacent gingiva for a gingiva adjacent to the target tooth, by merging the expanded reference surface with a surface obtained by expanding the expanded reference surface in a direction opposite to an occlusal direction, and

generate the outer surface, based on the virtual adjacent gingiva and the virtual target tooth.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program which, when executed, causes a computer to perform an intraoral image processing method, the intraoral image processing method comprising:

obtaining three-dimensional (3D) intraoral data on an oral cavity comprising teeth and a gingiva; and

generating an outer surface of a target tooth that is a subject of a prosthesis from among the teeth included in the 3D intraoral data,

wherein the generating of the outer surface comprises automatically generating a portion corresponding to a void area between the target tooth and at least one adjacent tooth adjacent to the target tooth,

wherein the void area comprises an unscanned area between the target tooth and the at least one adjacent tooth, where there is no scanned data, and

wherein the portion corresponding to the void area is generated based on a virtual margin line by connecting a first tooth point and a second tooth point, wherein the first tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a first gingiva point on a boundary of a first gingiva, and the second tooth point is located at a position equal to or less than a preset threshold value from a second gingiva point on a boundary of a second gingiva.