Recent CommentsDetecting Caries: A Revolutionary Approach?
posted in Operative Dentistry, Cosmetic Dentistry
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Quantum Dental Technologies, is a Canadian start-up company, that is working on a new approach to caries detection. The company was recently featured in the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper. Though, the product will not be launched until next year, the company is apparently currently looking for financial and strategic partners to help with the rollout of their product. We’d be interested in your thoughts on this product. Will this fly? How would this compare to the competition?
According to Quantum, the problem right now is this:
“The standard for detecting tooth decay, or “caries,” is through manual probing and x-rays, both of which are of limited use if the decay is below the surface of the tooth. Detecting early demineralization, a precursor to decay, is even more challenging.”
The solution:
“Quantum has developed a prototype of a laser device that uses heat and light waves to detect tiny, below-surface lesions in teeth without exposing a patient to potentially harmful radiation.”
The technology:
“The device works by aiming a small hand-held laser at a tooth, which is exposed to pulses of near-infrared light. This causes the tooth to glow and release heat. A special infrared detector measures the wavelengths of light and heat that are emitted from the tooth. Healthy teeth produce a specific wavelength signature, so any deviations can be analyzed to pinpoint hidden lesions and early breakdown of mineral. This process is repeated at various tooth depths simply by changing the frequency of the laser.”
Early Results:
“Tests from a lab prototype have proven the effort worthwhile. Between the teeth, considered one of the most difficult places to detect cavities, the technology can consistently spot lesions as tiny as 50 microns. That’s about half the diameter of a strand of human hair. It can also spot signs of tooth demineralization and decay up to 5 millimetres below the surface of a tooth and under fillings. Generally, you need to lose roughly 30 per cent of the mineral in an area of your tooth before it starts showing up on an x-ray. If a problem area is found early enough, it’s possible to remineralize the tooth using special treatments of gels and pastes. In other words, no need for needles and drilling.”
To read more about Quantum, check out the interview with the President of the firm at: Toronto Star
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One Response to “ Detecting Caries: A Revolutionary Approach? ”
I was involved with early carries detection for many years. A marketing concept which would have far reaching effects.
No patient or parent want radiation for their children.
But what will have to be looked at carefully and quantified….false positives and of course false negatives.
I would be very interested in this technology as would most progressive dentists.