SBIR Phase I: Brillouin Microscopy for Early Detection of Dental Caries

SBIR 第一阶段：用于早期发现龋齿的布里渊显微镜

• 批准号: 1938440
• 负责人: Steven Burns
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: MSTATT LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938440&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Brillouin; Microscopy; Early

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project will apply Brillouin spectroscopy (an optical method of measuring the speed of sound in a sample) to the early detection of dental caries (cavities). While Brillouin spectroscopy has been used to study other materials, it has not been used before to study caries in the dental enamel. However, initial data and theoretical models suggest that the technology can effectively detect early carious lesions. Once developed, this method will be capable of detecting caries in teeth early enough that remineralization treatments can be effectively used to reverse caries progression, thus sharply reducing the need for drilling, cavity filling, root canals, and implants. Upon widespread commercial adoption, this concept would fundamentally change dental practice, and allow it to focus on prevention instead of intervention. This will improve the patient experience by reducing the need for painful or uncomfortable dental procedures, thereby increasing patient satisfaction and compliance with bi-annual dental exams. The total addressable market for these systems and associated consumables is estimated to be worth nearly $2 billion per year in the United States, and around $5 billion per year worldwide.The project proposes Brillouin spectroscopy as a new modality of detecting early caries. The advantage of Brillouin spectroscopy over existing methodology is that it directly detects the enamel softening associated with demineralization in early caries. This patent-pending method is theorized to be more robust to confounding factors such as stains, calculus, and plaques, while maintaining the significant advantages of optical detection: it is non-ionizing, non-damaging, and non-contact, allowing for flexible detection geometry. The overall objective of this proposal is to validate Brillouin spectroscopy as a new, cost-effective, reliable diagnostic method of positively identifying carious lesions at an early stage. To achieve this goal, the project proposes two steps: First, a controlled, in vitro characterization of the sensitivity of Brillouin spectroscopy to early caries will be conducted. The caries will be induced incrementally by a pH-cycling protocol to create physiologically realistic demineralization. Second, the influence of common and potential confounding factors, such as staining, hydration, and incident angle of the light will be assessed. The expectation is that the resulting data will conclusively support the further development of Brillouin spectroscopy for early caries detection.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该SBIR第一阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响将应用布里渊光谱学（测量样品中声速的光学方法）来早期检测龋齿（蛀牙）。虽然布里渊光谱已被用于研究其他材料，但它还没有被用于研究牙釉质中的龋齿。然而，最初的数据和理论模型表明，该技术可以有效地检测早期龋损。一旦开发出来，这种方法将能够足够早地检测牙齿中的龋齿，从而可以有效地使用再矿化治疗来逆转龋齿的进展，从而大大减少对钻孔、牙洞填充、根管和种植体的需求。在广泛的商业应用中，这一概念将从根本上改变牙科实践，并使其专注于预防而不是干预。这将通过减少疼痛或不舒服的牙科手术来改善患者体验，从而提高患者满意度和对半年一次牙科检查的依从性。这些系统和相关消耗品的总可寻址市场估计在美国每年价值近20亿美元，在全球每年约50亿美元。该项目提出布里渊光谱作为检测早期龋齿的新模式。与现有方法相比，布里渊光谱的优点在于它直接检测与早期龋中的脱矿相关的釉质软化。理论上，这种正在申请专利的方法对诸如污渍、结石和斑块等混杂因素更加稳健，同时保持了光学检测的显著优势：它是非电离的、非损伤的和非接触的，允许灵活的检测几何形状。本提案的总体目标是验证布里渊光谱作为一种新的，具有成本效益的，可靠的诊断方法，积极识别龋损在早期阶段。为了实现这一目标，该项目提出了两个步骤：首先，将进行布里渊光谱对早期龋齿敏感性的受控体外表征。通过pH循环方案逐渐诱导龋齿，以产生生理上真实的脱矿作用。其次，将评估常见和潜在混杂因素的影响，例如染色、水合和光的入射角。期望得到的数据将最终支持布里渊光谱学的进一步发展，用于早期龋齿检测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。