[Fluorescence control of dental calculus removal]

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Dental Science

Context:

• Periodontitis prevention necessitates complete dental calculus removal.
• Current methods risk damaging adjacent tooth tissues due to imprecise interface detection.
• Sensitive and precise estimation of the tooth-calculus interface remains a challenge.

Purpose:

• To investigate the efficacy of fluorescence diagnostics for precise tooth-calculus interface detection during calculus removal.
• To develop a simple implementation of fluorescence diagnostics that avoids the need for a spectrometer.
• To explore the integration of this detection method with existing calculus removal devices.

Summary:

• This study demonstrates that fluorescence diagnostics can accurately identify the tooth-calculus interface.
• A simplified fluorescence detection setup, without a spectrometer, was developed and tested.
• The proposed system can be integrated with ultrasonic or laser calculus removal devices.

Impact:

• Enhances the precision and safety of dental calculus removal procedures.
• Reduces the risk of iatrogenic damage to healthy tooth structures.
• Offers a cost-effective and user-friendly tool for periodontitis prevention in clinical settings.