Development of an Intraoral Optical Probe for the Microscopic Evaluation of Denta

描述（由申请人提供）：现代牙科实践中的诊断成像仍然主要依赖于视觉检查或x射线摄影，这一技术自19世纪末以来基本上没有改变。小龋的早期检测和牙釉质微观裂纹的评估是三维光学成像技术应用可能解决的两个问题。光学相干断层扫描（OCT）是一种光学成像技术，它测量光反射以形成三维图像，与超声波测量声反射的方式大致相同。它对牙科成像很有吸引力，因为它允许在微米尺度分辨率下评估微观组织形态，而不需要电离辐射或外源对比。然而，OCT还没有准备好在牙科实践中广泛使用，因为它受到一些技术限制，如成像深度浅，速度慢，以及缺乏专门为牙科使用设计的实用商业探针。在这个第一阶段的提案中，诊断光子学（DxP）将展示由干涉合成孔径显微镜（ISAM）带来的技术创新，这是建立在OCT基础上的下一代技术，将克服迄今为止阻碍牙科实践采用3d光学成像技术的主要缺点。我们将使用现有的DxP手持式ISAM探针系统对离体牙齿标本进行ISAM成像，定量评估相对于传统OCT的性能改进，开发改进的ISAM算法和用于极景深牙科成像的光学配置，并设计用于第二阶段的专用口内探针。在未来的二期工作中，将构建专用手持式牙科探针，并在体内临床研究中进行测试。临床研究将包括评估诊断的准确性和龋齿识别的可重复性，区分活动性和非活动性龋齿，牙釉质裂纹识别和裂纹尺寸测量。这些研究还将评估系统的可靠性和结果的可重复性。DxP的临床、工程和业务专家在成功实施创新医学成像技术并将其引入临床实践方面有着良好的记录。这一记录，当与ISAM的使能技术相结合时，产生了一个重要的新机会，通过技术创新来改善牙科保健。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diagnostic imaging in modern dental practice still relies mainly on visual inspection or x-ray radiography, a technology that remains largely unchanged since the late 1800s. The early detection of small caries and the evaluation of microscopic enamel cracks prior to facture are two major issues that may be addressed with the application of 3-D optical imaging techniques. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), an optical imaging technology that measures light reflections to form a 3-D image in much the same way that ultrasound measures sound reflections, is attractive for dental imaging because it permits the evaluation of microscopic tissue morphology at ¿m-scale resolutions without the need for ionizing radiation or exogenous contrast. OCT is not yet ready for general use in dental practice, however, as it suffers from several technical constraints such as shallow imaging depth, slow speed, and the lack of practical commercial probes designed specifically for dental use. In this Phase I proposal, Diagnostic Photonics (DxP) will demonstrate that the technical innovations brought about by interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy (ISAM), the next-generation technology built on OCT, will overcome key shortcomings that have prevented the adoption of 3-D optical imaging technology in dental practice to date. We will perform ISAM imaging of ex vivo dental specimens with an existing DxP handheld ISAM probe system, quantitatively evaluate the performance improvement over conventional OCT, develop improved ISAM algorithms and optical configurations for extreme depth-of-field dental imaging, and design a dedicated intraoral probe for use in Phase II. In future Phase II work, the dedicated handheld dental probe will be constructed and tested in an in vivo clinical investigation. Clinical studies will include the evaluation of diagnostic accuracy and repeatability of caries identification, differentiation between active and inactive caries, enamel crack identification, and crack size measurement. These studies will also evaluate the reliability of the system and reproducibility of the results. The clinical, engineering, and business experts at DxP have a demonstrated track record of successfully implementing innovative medical imaging technologies and introducing them into clinical practice. This track record, when combined with the enabling technology of ISAM, yields a significant new opportunity to improve dental care through technical innovation.