20.500.12556/DiRROS-28791 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 Neznano 2026-04-07 14:06:54 2026-04-07 14:06:54 2026-04-08 03:47:43 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-10 iss. 1, [Article no.] 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 RAZ_Povsic_Katja_2026.pdf RAZ_Povsic_Katja_2026.pdf 1 1B3E4CF72A629652EF8F0D23EA9D36E4 6926941df6eeef90d7170e60167589b2b2b06a1a7071d3eefced0d5103b5f248 6496fb42-327a-11f1-b7aa-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=42877 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00784-025-06729-z 1 4674bad4-327a-11f1-b7aa-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=42876 Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana 0 0 0