Novel Sensor for High Resolution Intraoral Imaging

Periodontal disease is a common problem affecting many Americans today. Earliest indicationof periodontal disease in change in bone and tissue mass. Both assessment of bone support and thedetection and measurement of small changes in bone and soft tissues are fundamental tot he intraoralexamination. The need for improved image resolution with minimal patient exposure has long beenrecognized. In conventional X-ray detection media, such as thick phosphors and film screens, thereexists a problematic tradeoff between the increasing thickness and decreasing spatial resolution due tolateral light spreading. Current X-ray sensors therefore limit the effectiveness of many radiographicprocedures and necessitate unduly high patient exposure. To address this situation, we will develop anovel imaging sensor based on a structured CsI scintillating plate coupled to a large area charge-coupleddevice (CCD). This microstructures plate consists of micron-sized columnar crystal structures whichprevent lateral spreading of the scintillation light through the process of total internal reflection. Fordetecting dental X-rays with high resolution, the proposed concepts allows a high detection efficiencywithout sacrificing image quality. A large area, novel scintillation plate coupled to a suitable large-areCCD will exhibit 99% detection efficiency, excellent dynamic range, and high spatial resolution. Theseare desirable properties for high contrast intraoral imaging procedures such as digital subtractionradiography for accessing small progressive alveolar bone loss.