A biomedical imaging-based virtual articulator simulator for the interactive design of surgical guides and splints for new therapeutic applications (SUR 3D)

The primary aim of the SUR3D project is to develop a new virtual articulator simulator for the design and manufacture of splints for use as surgical guides in dental implantology and for the treatment of sleep apnoea/hypopnoea. Existing clinical diagnostic tools produce images from different sources and of varying quality. The virtual simulator is intended to use artificial intelligence algorithms to process these images, which vary in format and data type, and generate a multidimensional representation of the patient’s anatomy and function. This new tool will enable the design of highly versatile articulated splints for clinical use by simulating the patient’s occlusion and mandibular protrusion with the greatest possible accuracy, optimising both treatment and splint fit.