Dear 3D Slicer Community,
I’m excited to share our recent publication in BMC Oral Health where 3D Slicer played a crucial role in our research on dental implant osseointegration.
Publication Details:
Toia et al. (2025). “Inter-implant distance correlated to different preparation protocol on cortical bone: an animal study.” BMC Oral Health, 25:1512.
How We Used 3D Slicer:
We utilized 3D Slicer’s powerful open-source platform for comprehensive micro-CT data analysis, including:
- 3D volume reconstruction and visualization
- Precise segmentation of bone and implant structures
- Volumetric analysis using the Scalar Volume Statistics module
- Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) quantification in regions of interest
- Bone mineral density (BMD) analysis - converting Hounsfield units to BMD values (g/cm³) using calibration phantoms
- Definition and analysis of multiple volumes of interest (inner and outer portions relative to inter-implant distances)
Study Overview:
Our research investigated osseointegration patterns in 64 dental implants across different surgical preparation protocols and inter-implant distances using biomechanical, histomorphometric, and micro-morphometric analyses.
3D Slicer’s versatility and robust analytical capabilities were instrumental in processing high-resolution micro-CT data (10 μm voxel size) and extracting meaningful quantitative measurements that contributed significantly to our findings.
We are grateful for this exceptional open-source tool and the community that continues to develop and support it.
Thank you to the entire 3D Slicer development team!
Best regards,
Dr. Manjula Herath
Consultant Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Doktorand, Malmö University