Apparatus for positioning and securing skull for dental radiography

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for positioning and securing a skull for dental radiography, the apparatus comprising: a plate-shaped base; and an adjustment unit extended upward from the top of the base so as to be positioned behind the dental portion of a skull.

Description

Cranial positioning and holding devices for dental radiography

[0001] The present invention relates to a skull positioning and holding device for dental radiography, and more particularly, to a skull positioning and holding device for dental radiography, which can stably hold a skull in a position and obtain high-resolution radiographs.

[0002] In forensic medicine, teeth play a crucial role in identifying and determining the cause of death of an unidentified person. The anatomical patterns and traces of dental treatment found in a person's dentition, like fingerprints or genotypes, are unique and distinctive to each individual, and their analysis is used for identification. Furthermore, teeth demonstrate a higher degree of accuracy in age estimation than other body parts, playing a crucial role in identification. Furthermore, in the fields of archaeology and anthropology, which study ancient human bones, teeth are used to estimate age and gender and to identify physiological and pathological characteristics.

[0003] For dental analysis of unidentified deceased individuals or remains, radiography of the teeth and surrounding tissues is essential. However, in cases where significant time has passed since death, soft tissues have often been lost, leaving only the skull. Therefore, applying dental radiography equipment and methods used on living individuals to obtain high-quality images is difficult. Therefore, specialized methods and devices are needed to stably position and maintain the skull during imaging and to control the radiation dose.

[0004] Dental X-ray equipment is designed based on the anatomical structure and composition of the living human head and cervical spine. In the case of a living person, the soft tissues of the head and cervical spine are present, and the radiation irradiated for imaging is absorbed to a certain extent by these soft tissues and cervical spine (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0005] Fig. 3 is a photograph of a skull installed on a stand for taking a picture of the skull using a dental radiography device, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged photograph of part “A” of Fig. 3.

[0006] In Fig. 4, reference numeral 10 illustrates a pedestal.

[0007] When photographing the skull by installing it as in Figs. 3 and 4, if only the skull with the soft tissues lost is photographed, a phenomenon called "burnout" occurs in which the image appears black due to excessive exposure to radiation in the central part of the jawbone, as in the photo in Fig. 5. In photos taken in this way, it becomes impossible to identify the dentition in the front teeth area.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and its purpose is to provide a skull positioning and maintenance device for dental radiography that can prevent burnout phenomenon even when the skull is installed and photographed.

[0009] For the above purpose, the present invention provides a skull positioning and holding device for dental X-ray photography, characterized by including a plate-shaped base and an adjusting part that extends upwardly from the upper portion of the base and is positioned behind the teeth portion of the skull.

[0010] In the above, the upper part of the control unit is characterized by having a skull support unit that extends upward and has a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the control unit.

[0011] In the above, the skull support part is characterized in that it is provided eccentrically toward the rear of the adjustment part.

[0012] In the above, the control unit is characterized in that it is made of a radiopaque material.

[0013] In the above, the control unit is characterized by including a control body part made of a hollow body made of synthetic resin, and a filling part formed of a radiopaque resin provided in the control body part.

[0014] In the above, the cross-section of the control unit is characterized by being circular.

[0015] By installing the skull positioning and maintenance device for dental X-ray photography according to the present invention in a dental X-ray apparatus and taking a skull photograph, the burnout phenomenon can be prevented.

[0016] Figure 1 is an example of a photograph taken with a dental X-ray machine.

[0017] Figure 2 is a dental X-ray photograph of a tooth taken with a dental X-ray machine as shown in Figure 1.

[0018] Figure 3 is a photograph of the skull supported by a stand for taking a photo using a dental X-ray machine.

[0019] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part “A” of Figure 3.

[0020] Fig. 5 is a dental X-ray photograph of a tooth taken while installed as in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0021] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a skull positioning and holding device for dental radiography according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along line AA of Figure 6.

[0023] Figure 8 is a photograph of an example of a dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device according to the present invention installed in a dental X-ray device.

[0024] Figure 9 is a photograph of a skull positioned and maintained in a dental radiography skull positioning and holding device according to the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 10 is an enlarged photograph of a part of Fig. 9.

[0026] Fig. 11 is a dental X-ray photograph taken in the same condition as Fig. 10.

[0027] All technical and scientific terms used in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise defined, have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. All terms used in this disclosure have been selected for the purpose of more clearly explaining this disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of rights under this disclosure.

[0028] Expressions such as “comprising,” “having,” and the like used in the description of the present invention should be understood as open-ended terms that imply the possibility of including other embodiments, unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included.

[0029] The singular forms used in the description of the present invention may include plural meanings unless otherwise stated, and the same applies to the singular forms set forth in the claims.

[0030] When it is mentioned in the description of the present invention that a component is "connected" or "coupled" to another component, it should be understood that the component can be directly connected or coupled to the other component, or can be connected or coupled via a new other component.

[0031] With reference to the attached drawings below, the skull positioning and maintenance device for dental radiography of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a skull positioning and holding device for dental X-ray photography according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a photograph of an example of a skull positioning and holding device for dental X-ray photography according to the present invention installed in a dental X-ray photography device, FIG. 9 is a photograph of a skull positioned in a skull positioning and holding device for dental X-ray photography according to the present invention, FIG. 10 is an enlarged photograph of a portion of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a dental X-ray photograph taken in the same state as FIG. 10.

[0033]

[0034] In the following description, the horizontal direction in Fig. 7 is referred to as the “front-back direction,” the vertical direction is referred to as the “width direction,” and the direction perpendicular to the ground is referred to as the “up-down direction.”

[0035]

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the skull positioning and maintenance device (100) for dental radiography according to the present invention comprises a base (110), an adjustment unit (120), and a skull support unit (130).

[0037] The above base (110) is provided in a plate shape. The above base (110) is provided in a roughly rectangular plate shape. The above base (110) can be manufactured from synthetic resin.

[0038] A connecting portion (111) is provided at the front of the above base (110) for installing a skull positioning and maintenance device (100) for dental radiography to a dental radiography device. The connecting portion (111) may be formed as a through hole extending vertically. The connecting portion (111) is formed spaced forward from the adjusting portion (120).

[0039] The present invention's skull positioning and maintenance device (100) for dental X-ray photography is installed in the part where the head of the dental X-ray photography device is positioned.

[0040] During installation, as shown in Fig. 8, the chin rest, which is a part that supports the chin of the dental X-ray machine, is inserted into the connecting part (111) so that it can be stably installed in the dental X-ray machine.

[0041] The above-mentioned control unit (120) is provided with an upward extension on the upper portion of the base (110). The control unit (120) is positioned rearwardly away from the coupling unit (111). The control unit (120) may be formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section.

[0042] As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the adjusting portion (120) is positioned behind the teeth portion of the skull (S), and the adjusting portion (120) is formed with a length extending in the vertical direction past the teeth portion. It is preferable that the diameter of the adjusting portion (120) be formed larger than the width of the teeth portion of the skull (the distance between the tip of the right molar and the tip of the left molar). For example, the diameter of the adjusting portion (120) may be formed to be 6 cm or more.

[0043] The above-mentioned control unit (120) is made of a radiopaque material. The above-mentioned control unit (120) is made of a radiopaque material and has the function of preventing burnout of the teeth portion of the skull (S).

[0044] The above control unit (120) is composed of a control body unit (121) and a filling unit (123).

[0045] The above-mentioned control body (121) is provided in the form of a hollow cylinder with one side open. The above-mentioned control body (121) is manufactured from synthetic resin.

[0046] The above-mentioned filling portion (123) is formed of a radiopaque resin provided within the above-mentioned control body portion (121). Since the radiopaque resin is a conventionally known material, its description will be omitted. The inventor of the present invention used a resin from "Lang Dental Mfg. Co., Inc." as the radiopaque resin.

[0047] The resin forming the above filling portion (123) is manufactured by mixing powder and liquid resins. For example, the powder-type resin is 'Ortho-Jet' manufactured by 'Lang Dental Mfg. Co., Inc. TM Powder' product was used, and the liquid form resin was 'Ortho-Jet' from "Lang Dental Mfg. Co., Inc." TM Liquid' product was used.

[0048] The above resin is made by mixing powder-state resin and liquid-state resin, and then placing the mixed resin into the control body (121) and hardening it. The weight ratio of the powder-state resin and the liquid-state resin is 1 to 2:1.

[0049] Preferably, the weight ratio of the powder-state resin and the liquid-state resin is 1:1, and when the weight ratio of the powder-state resin and the liquid-state resin is 1:1, the mixed resin is in the softest state, so that it is possible to fill the inside of the control body (121) without any gaps.

[0050] The above-mentioned control body (121) is a hollow cylindrical body with one side open, and is filled with a radiopaque resin and solidified. Then, it is fixed to the upper part of the base (110) with the bottom facing upward. A concave groove is formed on the upper part of the base (110), and the control unit (120) can be manufactured separately and inserted into the concave groove.

[0051] The above control unit (120) is easy to manufacture because it is equipped with a hollow control body (121) made of synthetic resin and is manufactured by filling the interior with radiopaque resin and solidifying it.

[0052] Fig. 11 is a radiographic photograph taken using a dental radiographic skull positioning and holding device (100) in which a filling (123) is formed with a radiopaque resin, and no burnout phenomenon occurred in the center of the tooth.

[0053] The cross-section of the above-mentioned adjusting part (120) is formed in a circular shape, so that the central part of the front teeth has a low amount of radiation penetration, and the molar part has a relatively high amount of radiation penetration, so that the condition of the teeth appears even.

[0054] The above-mentioned head support part (130) is provided on the upper part of the above-mentioned adjustment part (120). The above-mentioned head support part (130) extends upwardly above the above-mentioned adjustment part (120) and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the above-mentioned adjustment part (120). The above-mentioned head support part (130) may be formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section. The above-mentioned head support part (130) may be formed as a hollow body.

[0055] The above-mentioned head support part (130) may be manufactured separately, and the adjustment part (120) may be fixed to the upper part of the base (110), and the head support part (130) may be attached to a position eccentrically rearward from the upper part of the adjustment part (120) using an adhesive or the like.

[0056] The above skull support part (130) is provided eccentrically (D) rearward from the center of the adjustment part (120). The skull support part (130) is positioned eccentrically rearward from the adjustment part (120), so that the skull (S) is stably supported when the skull (S) is supported at the cervical vertebra position of the skull (S), and the adjustment part (120) is positioned rearward of the teeth portion of the skull (S).

[0057] As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the skull support (130) supports the skull (S) at the cervical vertebra position of the skull (S). The skull (S) is supported from below by the skull support (130), and the lower part of the front jaw is placed on the jaw support of a dental X-ray machine.

[0058] In the above-described supported state, both sides of the skull (S) can be supported laterally by head position guide members provided separately on the dental X-ray machine. In addition, as illustrated in Fig. 10, the skull (S) can be more firmly fixed using a separate strap.

[0059] The dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device (100) according to the present invention has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture, and can be stably installed in a dental X-ray device by means of a connecting portion (111), and the skull (S) is stably supported by being supported by a skull support portion (130).

[0060] In addition, since the cross-section of the above-mentioned control unit (120) is formed in a circular shape, a difference in the amount of radiation penetration occurs in the width direction, so that a burnout phenomenon can be prevented during X-ray photography as shown in FIG. 11.

[0061] The skull positioning and holding device for dental X-ray photography according to the present invention is installed in a dental X-ray apparatus and used for skull photography, thereby preventing burnout and obtaining clearer and more distinct images than before.

Claims

1. A dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device, characterized by including a plate-shaped base (110) and an adjusting part (120) that extends upwardly from the upper portion of the base (110) and is positioned behind the teeth portion of the skull (S).

2. A dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device, characterized in that in the first paragraph, a skull support part (130) is provided on the upper part of the control part (120) and extends upward and has a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the control part (120).

3. A dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device, characterized in that in the second paragraph, the skull support part (130) is provided eccentrically toward the rear with respect to the adjusting part (120).

4. A skull positioning and maintenance device for dental radiography, characterized in that in the first or second paragraph, the adjusting part (120) is made of a radiopaque material.

5. A dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device, characterized in that in the first or second paragraph, the control unit (120) includes a hollow control body (121) made of synthetic resin, and a filling unit (123) formed of a radiopaque resin provided in the control body (121).

6. A dental X-ray skull positioning and maintenance device, characterized in that in the fifth paragraph, the cross-section of the adjusting part (120) is circular.

Images