Density plots showing the effect of cropping method on DNE, OPCR, RFI, surface area (SA), and tooth size.

PCV was not calculated for surfaces cropped with the BCO method due to time constraints. A negative value indicates an increase in the topographic value going from EEC to BCO. Grey, solid lines are low triangle counts (< 210 triangles), dashed grey is medium-low triangle counts (210–1799 triangles), dashed black lines are medium-high triangle counts (1800–9999 triangles), and solid black lines are high triangle counts (10000+ triangles). In general, RFI, SA, and size values are smaller with BCO compared to EEC. DNE and OPCR are just as likely to increase or decrease. This is because, for a given triangle count, there are more triangles representing the occlusal surface using the BCO method, which can increase DNE and OPCR. But for a given resolution, fewer triangles represent the tooth with the BCO than the EEC, leading to a decrease in DNE and OPCR, which are summative metrics.