20.500.12556/RUL-179009 Mapping dental biofilms from plaque index through planimetry to volumetric analysis Objectives Conventional plaque assessment methods, such as clinical indices and planimetry, rely on plaque-disclosing agents and may overemphasize thin biofilm areas due to plaque thickness variations. This study introduces a digital 3D method to quantify and visualize dental plaque volume from consecutive intraoral scans (IOS) and compares it with the Turesky Modification of the Quigley-Hein Plaque Index (TMQHPlI) and planimetry. Methods After professional supragingival debridement at baseline (T0), fifteen participants refrained from oral hygiene for four days (T4). De novo plaque formation was assessed at T4 using TMQHPlI after application of a two-tone (pink/purple) plaque-disclosing agent. IOSs (3Shape TRIOS 4) were obtained at T0 and T4. Plaque accumulation was quantified using color-coded IOS comparisons with the Volumetric Plaque Index (VPI) and Adjusted VPI (AVPI). Machine learning (Trainable Weka Segmentation) was used to calculate the Planimetric Plaque Index (PPI). Results A correlation between plaque surface area and volume was observed only for purple/mature plaque (p = 0.043). Early plaque growth was dominated by expansion of pink-stained, newly formed plaque. Once more than one-third of the surface was covered, further increases resulted mainly from vertical thickening rather than lateral spread. Conclusions 3D volumetric analysis offers a comprehensive, objective, and clinician-friendly method for assessing dental biofilms. Clinical relevance The proposed 3D approach enables accurate monitoring of plaque accumulation and maturation, improving personalized oral hygiene assessment, patient education, and clinical decision-making. 3D imaging computer assisted image analysis dental deposits dental plaque dental plaque index diagnostic imaging 3D slikanje računalniško podprta analiza slik zobne obloge indeks zobnih oblog diagnostično slikanje true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-02-03 09:13:19 2026-02-03 09:13:27 2026-02-04 04:36:58 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 10 str. iss. 1, art. 38 Vol. 30 Jan. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 616.31 1432-6981 10.1007/s00784-025-06729-z 266182915 s00784-025-06729-z.pdf s00784-025-06729-z.pdf 1 5AC671ED9F438C6FD97F1A6C1BB4944C fa59d1e6906d888ec4049f8d4143de0d16a389258656ff4d05754a9d5ba6df50 74ec730a-00d8-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=227067 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00784-025-06729-z 1 258cf69c-00d8-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=227065 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0