Computer Assisted Electro-Optical Detection of Caries

Safe, cost-effective diagnosis and treatment of dental caries remain major public health concerns.applies new digital imaging and processing technology to dental transillumination - a technique thatthe detection of caries but which has not yet reached its full diagnostic potential. Our plan is toand turn it into an advanced tool that provides safe, rapid, accurate and inexpensive diagnoses of cconsist of a hand-held transillumination probe and solid-state camera, connected to a personal computest the feasibility of our optical approach, including choice of optimal wavelengths and illuminatialternative designs for acquiring high-resolution digitized images of carious lesions and surroundinalso will implement software to process these images so as ultimately to provide the clinician withoperator-assisted diagnosis. During Phase II, in vivo data will be archived into a reference data badiscriminant parameters that indicate caries needing early remedial attention, and to identify high-emphasize the additional engineering needed to produce prototype devices suitable for commercial use