Tri-modal optical device for detection of early childhood caries

Objective: Early childhood caries is considered a preventable infectious disease, and yet it is often not identified until clinical manifestation much later in the disease progression.  This often leads to consequences on the psychological, social, and nutritional wellbeing of the child.  However, if detected and treated at an early stage, remineralization of enamel and arrestment of damage may be possible.  Method: We have developed a compact tri-modal optical device to safely detect early stage caries.  The clinical prototype device utilizes two low-power visible lasers to provide three modes of operation.  A high-contrast and high-resolution reflection imaging modality allows the user to quickly spot areas of suspected caries in real-time live video frame rates (Zhang, Journal of Biomedical Optics July 2012).  Autofluorescence and bacterial fluorescence images are also obtained concurrently.  After spotting a suspicious region on the enamel, a dual laser fluorescence spectroscopy modality can be used to quantify degree of demineralization (Zhang, IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference October 2012). The flexibility of the device allows for each modality to be displayed separately or overlayed to produce real-time multimodal images.  This compact device is designed to be used in conjunction with current clinical tools via attachment to a dental explorer or mirror.  Result:   We report for the first time the use of a tri-modal optical device with high-resolution and contrast reflectance imaging, fluorescence imaging, and spectroscopy in children.  The tri-modal optical device is low cost and modular in its operation.  If additional functions are desired such as RGB intra-oral imaging, near infra-red imaging, and crack detection, additional lasers may be added to allow for such operations.  Alternatively, a very low-cost option utilizing only the spectroscopy may also be realized.  Conclusion: The multi-modal capability of the optical device is an effective adjunctive tool to aid in the early detection of dental caries.