Handheld intraoral ultrasound for assessment of tooth-periodontium complex

Correction of misaligned teeth requires orthodontic braces treatment. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been routinely used in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning in recent years. Its three-dimensional capability to view images has a significant advantage over traditional 2D X-rays. However, CBCT typically delivers more radiation than conventional dental 2D X-rays. As children and adolescents are the most common individuals getting braces to correct misaligned teeth, they are increasingly susceptible to harmful effects of excessive radiation, due to rate of cellular growth and organ development, and longer life expectancies. This proposal suggests using ultrasound techniques to study tooth-gum tissue complex and validating the ultrasound results with CBCT. Ultrasound method is non-invasive, cost-effective, and free of ionizing radiation. If ultrasound is found to be a reliable tool in imaging the tooth-gum complex, children and adolescents will benefit immensely from the decreased radiation risks and reduced cancer rate. The project’s outcome will significantly advance the commercialization of DenSonics’ ultrasound technology.

Faculty Supervisor:

Fabiana Marques;Carlos Flores-Mir

Student:

Andrew Chan

Partner:

DenSonics Imaging

Discipline:

Dentistry

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Alberta