Tomography Convergence Oral Scanner for Internal Tooth Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental scanners struggle to accurately capture the external surface shape and internal structure of teeth, leading to difficulties in diagnosing conditions like periodontitis, dental caries, and subgingival margin acquisition, which often require multiple scans and expose patients to radiation.
Innovation Solution
A tomography convergence-type oral scanner that combines an optical tomography scanner with an oral scanner, using visible light for surface scanning and near-infrared light for internal tomography, allowing for simultaneous acquisition of external surface shape and internal tooth images without invasive procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional oral scanner is used to capture tooth surface images, then the external surface shape can be obtained, but the internal structure and depth information cannot be accurately identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a conventional oral scanner with an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner into a single integrated device. The oral scanner captures surface morphology while the OCT scanner simultaneously captures internal tissue structure and depth information. By merging these two scanning systems, the device overcomes the limitation of conventional scanners that cannot provide internal structural data, thereby improving measurement precision of internal structures without losing tooth depth information.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated scanner performs multiple functions: it captures both external surface shape and internal tomography images in a single device. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate scanning procedures, providing comprehensive dental information including surface morphology, subsurface structures, and depth measurements all through one universal tool.
2Measurement precision
If multiple scans are performed to accurately identify tooth conditions, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but examination time and patient inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the oral scanner and OCT scanner into one device, the system performs both surface and internal structure scanning simultaneously during a single examination session. This eliminates the need for multiple separate scans that would otherwise be required to achieve comprehensive diagnostic accuracy, thereby maintaining high diagnostic precision while significantly reducing total examination time.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system enables continuous data acquisition of both surface and internal tooth structures in one uninterrupted scanning process. Instead of performing discrete sequential scans, the device continuously captures comprehensive dental information in a single flowing operation, improving efficiency and reducing patient examination time while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional scanning methods are used, then the procedure is simple, but the ability to detect subsurface diseases and cracks is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges an oral scanner with an OCT scanner into an integrated system. This combination enhances disease detection capability by enabling visualization of subsurface structures, cracks, and pathological changes that conventional scanners cannot detect. While the device complexity increases due to the addition of OCT components, the clinical benefit of detecting previously invisible conditions justifies the enhanced complexity.
4Measurement precision
If X-rays are used to obtain internal tooth images, then internal structure visibility improves, but patient radiation exposure and health risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the X-ray imaging mechanism with an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning mechanism. Instead of using ionizing radiation to visualize internal tooth structures, the OCT system uses low-coherence light interference to generate high-resolution cross-sectional images of dental tissues. This substitution maintains excellent internal structure visibility while completely eliminating harmful radiation exposure to the patient.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental imaging parameter from ionizing radiation (X-rays) to non-ionizing optical light. By using light waves in the near-infrared spectrum for OCT imaging, the system achieves comparable or superior soft tissue contrast and internal structure visualization without the harmful biological effects associated with X-ray radiation, thereby improving patient safety while maintaining diagnostic quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables non-invasive, accurate scanning of tooth surfaces and internal structures, improving diagnostic precision for periodontal diseases and other oral health issues, while minimizing radiation exposure and reducing the need for multiple scans.
Implementation Method 1
an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner including a low-coherence light source for generating low-coherence light, a reference mirror, a beam splitter for separating the light from the low-coherence light source into a reference light and a measurement light, a measurement light introducing unit for introducing the measurement light into the tooth, and a signal light receiver for receiving an interference light generated by combining the reference light and a signal light reflected and transmitted through the tooth
Implementation Method 2
an oral scanner including a visible light source for irradiating the tooth with visible light, and a camera for obtaining surface shape data of the tooth based on visible light reflected from the tooth
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed is a tomography convergence-type oral scanner that provides optical tomography images of the shape of a tooth surface and the inside of a tooth. The tomography convergence-type oral scanner comprises: an oral scanning unit comprising a projector including a first light source for generating visible light, and a camera for generating image data by receiving the visible light reflected from a tooth after the visible light generated from the light source is incident on the tooth; an optical tomography scanning unit comprising an OCT body including a second light source that has a different wavelength from the first light source and generates a measurement light incident on the tooth, a beam splitter for splitting the measurement light into a reference light and a measurement light, a reference mirror that reflects the reference light, and a photodetector for detecting an interference light generated by superposition of a signal light generated by reflection of the measurement light by the tooth and the reference light reflected by the reference mirror, and an OCT scan probe including a collimator for converting the measurement light divided by the beam splitter into a parallel light and a MEMS mirror for reflecting the converted parallel light; and a dichroic mirror for transmitting the visible light generated by the oral scanning unit and reflecting the parallel light reflected by the MEMS mirror of the optical tomography scanning unit, thereby irradiating a tooth to be measured.