Optical Fiber Microprobe for Dental Diagnosis/Treatment

We will develop a fiber optic dental probe that will enable dentists and oral surgeons to directlyand condition of dental tissues in locations previously unviewable without ionizing radiation. The phigh-strength metal-coated ultrafine optical fiber, coupled with a short- wavelength source, to exciautofluorescence of teeth. A multi wavelength spectrograph collects the resulting fluorescent emissianalysis software is used to analyze the fluorescence, giving an unambiguous determination of tissueanatomical boundaries in real time. The probe's extremely small size will make it particularly usefuand in the diagnosis of periodontal disease. During Phase I, POC will use custom-fabricated opticalconstruction of the probe, which will be integrated with support hardware. The probe will be testedoptically to verify its suitability for the proposed application. Simultaneous in vitro experimentsestablish a base for the automated tissue health determination software. The two parallel efforts wiof the project to present a working demonstration of the optical fiber dental microprobe concept.