Researchers at the University of North Carolina are working with Xintek Inc. to develop a clinically viable 3-D intraoral imaging system, with the potential of changing the way dental radiographs are taken in the future. If successful, the researchers say, patients would benefit from improved diagnostic outcomes.
“This work is important in dentistry because, for the first time, we may have a device that can actually improve the detection of dentoalveolar disease without increasing the dose to the patient,” said Dr. Enrique Platin, clinical professor in the UNC School of Dentistry’s department of diagnostic sciences and one of the lead researchers on the project.
The experimental technology is based on dental tomosynthesis and a UNC-invented method of x-ray generation. Dental tomosynthesis uses a limited number of radiographs taken from different angles to produce a series of images that lets the dentist visualize the patient layer by layer.
“The innovation of the current technology lies in the new x-ray generator developed at UNC, which is based on carbon nanotube technology,” said Dr. André Mol, clinical associate professor in the department of diagnostic sciences and lead researcher on the project.
“This generator resembles a regular x-ray source. But instead of having one focal spot, it has multiple focal spots that can be fired in sequence to rapidly obtain images at different angles without the need to move the source,” Mol explained. “Development of advanced reconstruction algorithms has resulted in high-quality image slices of dentoalveolar hard tissues.”
As a result, dental professionals can move through the structure, revealing hidden anatomical details. Preliminary results show the technology can deliver rapid, low-dose, high-resolution 3-D images. Initial evaluation indicates improved detection rates of proximal caries. Further studies are planned to assess the diagnostic efficacy of the system for root fractures, periodontal lesions, and other dentoalveolar diseases.
The team consists of Drs. Otto Zhou, Jianping Lu, and Jing Shan and Gongting Wu of the UNC Department of Physics and Astronomy; Pavel Chtcheprov of the Department of Biomedical Engineering; Drs. Platin, Mol and Lars Gaalaas of the UNC School of Dentistry Department of Diagnostic Sciences; and Dr. Andrew Tucker of Xintek Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C. Funding for this research was provided by the National Institutes of Health through a Small Business Innovation Research grant and with aid from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
