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- 2018
Photoacoustic imaging for monitoring periodontal health: A first human studyDOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2018.10.005 Keywords: Photoacoustic imaging, Periodontal disease, Diagnosis, Gingival thickness, Pocket depth, Periodontal charting, Melanin nanoparticles Abstract: The gold-standard periodontal probe is an aging tool that can detect periodontitis and monitor gingival health but is highly error-prone, does not fully characterize the periodontal pocket, and causes pain. Photoacoustic imaging is a noninvasive technique that can address these limitations. Here, a range of ultrasound frequencies between 16–40?MHz were used to image the periodontium and a contrast medium based on cuttlefish ink was used to label the pockets. A 40?MHz ultrasound frequency could spatially resolve the periodontal anatomy, including tooth, gum, gingival margin, and gingival thickness of tooth numbers 7–10 and 22–27. The photoacoustic-ultrasound measurements were more precise (0.01?mm) than those taken with physical probes by a dental hygienist. Furthermore, the full geometry of the pockets could be visualized with relative standard deviations of 10% (n?=?5). This study shows the potential for non-invasive monitoring of periodontal health with photoacoustic-ultrasound imaging in the dental clinic
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