International Journal of Computerized Dentistry, 03/2005

The prerequisite for structured individual therapy of craniomandibular dysfunctions is differential diagnostics. Suggestions for the structured recording of findings and their structured evaluation beyond the global diagnosis of "craniomandibular disorders" have been published. Only this structured approach enables computerization of the diagnostic process. The respective software is available for use in practice (CMDcheck for CMD screening, CMDfact for the differential diagnostics). Based on this structured diagnostics, knowledge-based therapy planning is also conceivable. The prerequisite for this would be a model of achieving consensus on the indicated forms of therapy related to the diagnosis. Therefore, a procedure for evidence-based achievement of consensus on suitable forms of therapy in CMD was developed first in multicentric cooperation, and then implemented in corresponding software. The clinical knowledge of experienced specialists was included consciously for the consensus achievement process. At the same time, anonymized mathematical statistical evaluations were used for control and objectification. Different examiners from different departments of several universities working independently of one another assigned the theoretically conceivable therapeutic alternatives to the already published diagnostic scheme. After anonymization, the correlation of these assignments was then calculated mathematically. For achieving consensus in those cases for which no agreement initially existed, agreement was subsequently arrived at in the course of a consensus conference on the basis of literature evaluations and the discussion of clinical case examples. This consensus in turn finally served as the basis of a therapy planner implemented in the above-mentioned diagnostic software CMDfact. Contributing to quality assurance, the principles of programming this assistant as well as the interface for linking into the diagnostic software are documented and also published here. Keywords: clinical functional analysis, CMD, findings documentation, evaluation, diagnostics, therapy planning, interface definition, parameterization

Objectives: This study was designed to test a cumulative view of current data in the clinical database at the Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University. We planned to examine associations among demographic factors and treatments. Methods: Three tables were selected from the database of the faculty: patient, treatment and procedures. All fields and record numbers in each table were documented. Data was explored using SQL server and Visual Basic and then cleaned by removing incongruent fields. After transformation, a data warehouse was created. This was imported to SQL analysis services manager to create an OLAP (Online Analytic Process) cube. Results: The multidimensional model used for access to data was created using a star schema. Treatment count was the measurement variable. Five dimensions - date, postal code, gender, age group and treatment categories - were used to detect associations. Another data warehouse of 8 tables (international tooth code #1-8) was created and imported to SAS enterprise miner to complete data mining. Association nodes were used for each table to find sequential associations and minimum criteria were set to 2% of cases. Findings of this study confirmed most assumptions of treatment planning procedures. There were some small unexpected patterns of clinical interest. Further developments are recommended to create predictive models. Conclusions: Recent improvements in information technology offer numerous advantages for conversion of raw data from faculty databases to information and subsequently to knowledge. This knowledge can be used by decision makers, managers, and researchers to answer clinical questions, affect policy change and determine future research needs. Keywords: clinical database, dentistry, data transformation, data warehouse, OLAP, multidimensional model, star schema, data mining, predictive modeling, information technology

There are no long-term clinical studies concerning the treatment outcome of CAD/CAM generated porcelain laminate veneers. The objective of this study was to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of CAD/CAM fabricated porcelain laminate veneers. A single practitioner placed 715 CAD/CAM generated porcelain laminate veneers produced chairside with the Cerec system on 307 patients between December 1989 and December 1997. 260 patients with 617 veneers were available for recall examination. Forty-seven patients with 98 veneers (13.7%) were unable to be located or return for recall examination. Fourteen restorations had been lost. The Kaplan-Meier survival rate was 94% after up to 9 years (95% confidence interval: 90.7 to 97.8%). Of the surviving restorations, 98% were classified as clinically acceptable after 9 years. 97.3% of the teeth examined tested vital, 96.2% of the veneers were asymptomatic since their production, 98.8% of the veneers were considered successful by the patient. CAD/CAM veneers fabricated with the Cerec System achieved comparable longterm clinical results to those reported for laboratory processed porcelain laminate veneers. The high survival rate and favorable clinical results would support the use of CAD/CAM porcelain laminate veneers in clinical situations similar to those for laboratory processed porcelain veneers. CAD/CAM generated porcelain laminate veneers may provide equally good clinical results and longevity as conventional laboratory- processed porcelain laminate veneers. Keywords: Laminate Veneers, CAD/CAM Veneers, Cerec