Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for visualizing, measuring, monitoring, and observing damage to and decalcification of tooth tissue in a lesion based on one or more still images of the tooth, each preferably observing through an optical filter the fluorescent response of the tissue to blue excitation light. The image is analyzed based on a function(s) of optical components of the pixels, preferably comparing a ratio between optical components to one or more thresholds. Other analysis uses interpolation and/or curve fitting to reconstruct what intensities the pixels would have if the tooth were sound. In some embodiments, this reconstruction is based on the pixel intensities that the user indicates correspond to sound tooth tissue. In other embodiments, these points are automatically selected. In still other embodiments, images captured over time are analyzed to create a sequence of frames in an animation of the state of the lesion.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim