Abstract:

Teaching in different branches of health sciences has been traditionally based on the use of atlas, dissections or direct study of bones from human cadavers. However, the study using atlas limits the vision of students of Health Sciences to two dimensions, requiring a large capacity for abstract thinking to understand the three-dimensional (3D) structures that are necessary for the full anatomical knowledge that the student must acquire during their academic training. Another limitation is acquiring the original bone material from human cadavers for anatomical study. Currently, there have been advances in diagnostic techniques of imaging, along with the emergence of new information technologies and 3D modeling applied to teaching, introducing techno-pedagogical approach in anatomy, which has transformed teaching into a model that is more dynamic, realistic and attractive.

Currently the 3D printing technology has reached at a point of maturity that could allow its application and massive expansion in the productive system, thanks to the lowering of the equipment prices, developments made in this technology and its exploration to new materials. In this study, our purpose was to demonstrate the possibilities of improving the study that has employed the application of 3D printing technology in teaching of human bone anatomy of the stomatognathic system in the centers of Health Sciences. This technique has allowed the creation of a tangible and complex 3D objects that allow us to study beyond a simple 3D image view on a flat screen monitor. This work presents the description of the process of creating a 3D model of a human jaw design based on its images and subsequent creation of the model with the 3D printer. For the development of our anatomical models we have relied on the images of the original parts obtained with CT scanner Aquilion TSX model 101a of 32 detectors, which allowed us to analyze the bone structure in all its dimensions. Posteriorly, the images were analyzed by a software for the processing of 3D images, applying an algorithm known as marching cubes in order to obtain a triangular mesh model. 3D printer model ColiDoTM X3045 of addition or injection of polymers was employed. The thermosetting plastics employed in 3D imaging first suffered heating followed by fusion and their posterior cooling led to the creation of a rigid solid material. In this way we obtained full-scale bone material with all anatomical details that are sometimes blurred in the actual bones because of their poor condition or their deterioration over time. The three-dimensional design of bony structures will allow the students to gain a better understanding of morphological details of anatomical parts. These 3D models are more durable than the actual pieces resource.

Keywords:

3D imaging, bones, stomatognathic system, techno-pedagogical teaching, anatomy.