Kato Tsubasa, Sena Kotaro, Ishiko Risa, Tanda Naoko, Yoda Nobuhiro, Hihara Hiroki, Koseki Takeyoshi
Department of Oral Supportive Care and Management, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Community Social Dentistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 3;19(12):e0314563. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314563. eCollection 2024.
The removal of subgingival deposits, especially calculus, plays a crucial role in basic periodontal therapy. However, manual detection methods affect accuracy owing to the operator's skill. To avoid this uncertainty, we have developed a calculus detection device named "Sensor probe" and evaluated its ability to detect calculus for future clinical applications. The Sensor probe consisted of a 635 nm-wavelength semiconductor laser and a 0.5 mm-diameter single-mode optical fiber. Initially, the performance of the device was evaluated using clinically obtained extracted teeth with calculus covered with a stainless-steel shielding plate with pinhole. Then, the effect of the optical fiber's end shape on calculus detection performance was analyzed. Lastly, the performance of the Sensor probe was compared to that of a conventional periodontal probe in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for calculus detection using calculus-covered extracted teeth. The results indicated that Sensor probe detected dental calculus through the pinhole with a diameter of 300 μm or more when applied from a distance of 100 μm. The results analyzing the effect of the optical fiber's end shape on calculus detection performance showed that cutting the fiber end at an angle of 45° resulted in the most effective calculus detection. This may be because the laser light refracted on the cut surface and concentrated on the fiber side. Moreover, by comparing the performance of this device to a conventional periodontal probe revealed that the Sensor probe showed improved calculus detection accuracy in deeper periodontal pockets. This improvement was particularly significant in the apical third, where detection is typically difficult. In conclusion, a Sensor probe that uses an optical fiber with a 45° angled end may facilitate subgingival calculus detection. In future clinical applications, Sensor probes could lead to more accurate and efficient calculus removal, especially for deeper periodontal pockets.
龈下沉积物的清除，尤其是牙结石的清除，在基础牙周治疗中起着至关重要的作用。然而，由于操作者的技术水平，手动检测方法会影响准确性。为避免这种不确定性，我们开发了一种名为“传感器探针”的牙结石检测装置，并评估了其在未来临床应用中检测牙结石的能力。传感器探针由一个波长为635nm的半导体激光器和一根直径为0.5mm的单模光纤组成。最初，使用临床获取的带有牙结石的拔除牙齿进行评估，牙结石覆盖有带针孔的不锈钢屏蔽板。然后，分析了光纤末端形状对牙结石检测性能的影响。最后，使用覆盖有牙结石的拔除牙齿，在牙结石检测的准确性、敏感性和特异性方面，将传感器探针的性能与传统牙周探针进行了比较。结果表明，当从100μm的距离施加时，传感器探针通过直径为300μm或更大的针孔检测到牙结石。分析光纤末端形状对牙结石检测性能影响的结果表明，将光纤末端切成45°角可实现最有效的牙结石检测。这可能是因为激光在切割表面折射并集中在光纤一侧。此外，通过将该装置的性能与传统牙周探针进行比较发现，传感器探针在较深的牙周袋中显示出更高的牙结石检测准确性。这种提高在根尖三分之一处尤为显著，在那里检测通常很困难。总之，使用末端呈45°角的光纤的传感器探针可能有助于龈下牙结石的检测。在未来的临床应用中，传感器探针可能会使牙结石清除更加准确和高效，尤其是对于较深的牙周袋。
