Laser Guided Automated Calibrating System for Accurate Bracket Placement

BACKGROUND: The basic premise of preadjusted bracket system is accurate bracket positioning. It is widely recognized that accurate bracket placement is of critical importance in the efficient application of biomechanics and in realizing the full potential of a preadjusted edgewise appliance. AIM: The purpose of this study was to design a calibrating system to accurately detect a point on a plane as well as to determine the accuracy of the Laser Guided Automated Calibrating (LGAC) System. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To the lowest order of approximation a plane having two parallel lines is used to verify the accuracy of the system. On prescribing the distance of a point from the line, images of the plane are analyzed from controlled angles, calibrated and the point is identified with a laser marker. RESULTS: The image was captured and analyzed using MATLAB ver. 7 software (The MathWorks Inc.). Each pixel in the image corresponded to a distance of 1cm/413 (10 mm/413) = 0.0242 mm (L/P). This implies any variations in distance above 0.024 mm can be measured and acted upon, and sets the highest possible accuracy for this system. CONCLUSION: A new automated system is introduced having an accuracy of 0.024 mm for accurate bracket placement.