Novel High-Resolution Scintillation X-ray Detectors for Digital Dentistry

Project SummaryNovel High Resolution Scintillation X ray Detectors for Digital Dentistry The transition from traditional film to digital X ray detectors has resulted in significant improvements across many areas for dental X ray imaging ranging from decreased wait timesimproved logistics and even lower radiation dose ratesOne significant drawback remains with digital X ray imaging howeverwhich is that current digital X ray detectors used in dental imaging have suboptimal spatial resolution performanceThe image resolution for digital detectors is often inferior to what was previously achieved using traditional filmThis poses a problem when it is necessary to image small features for various diagnoses and procedures within the field of dentistryNGS DetectorsLLCin collaboration with partners at Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoriesLLNLand Brown University have developed a high resolution structured scintillator that can be optically coupled with small pixel pitch CCD and CMOS photodetector chips to achieve spatial resolution performance up to an order of magnitude better than current state of the art digital X ray detectors used in dental imagingThis novel design minimizes photon radial spread inherent to scintillators by using principles of geometric confinementOrdered optical microchannels with diameters as small asmicrons are infiltrated with high quantum efficiency scintillating polymersThis STTR Phaseproposes to further develop geometrically confined scintillators and couple them to small pixel pitch CDD or CMOS photodetector chips in order to maximize spatial resolution performance for intraoral dental X ray imagingThe first step is to demonstrate that microchannel confinement of scintillators when coupled to CCD and CMOS sensors will result in significant gains in spatial resolutionThe second step is to characterize the quantum efficiency and photon yield and develop an optical model that provides a basis for comparing dose ratesFinallyoptical engineering improvements will be tested to maximize the quantum efficiency and minimize the dose required for imaging using the detector system