Application of Medical Imaging and 3D Printing Technology in Teaching the Handling of Novel Medicine in Periodontal Surgery

Recently, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) agents for periodontal tissue regeneration have been increasingly applied to the treatment of periodontal disease. Our current challenge for resident dentists with little clinical experience is to enhance instruction in the handling of new medicine in addition to teaching conventional procedures in periodontal tissue regeneration. This report describes using case-specific, cost-effective three-dimensional (3D) models for dentists' lectures and periodontal surgical training. As an educational and training aid, preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography images were superimposed to enable three-dimensional observation of postoperative bone regeneration. A three-dimensional anatomical model was fabricated based on these images. Dental laboratory materials were used to reproduce the periosteum and gum. The fabrication time per 3D model was about 2 hours and the cost per model was about $0.5. These models were used for lectures to resident dentists and periodontal surgery training, and their feedback was obtained. The resident's response to surgical training using these 3D models was generally positive. The use of FGF-2 represents a new direction in the treatment of periodontal disease. This being new, however, means that inexperienced periodontists require training in its application and how this will affect prognosis, as this will differ from that with more conventional techniques aimed at tissue regeneration. The low-cost 3D model presented in this report can be a valuable tool to help accomplish this in teaching inexperienced dentists, such as resident dentists.