SBIR-STTR Award

Commonly used periapical film requires very high radiation exposures to obtain high quality radiographic images for diagnosis of dental disease. The primary reason for the high exposures is that an intensifying screen is not used with the film to avoid loss of resolution. Since film does not absorb X-rays as efficiently as an intensifying screen, relatively large exposures are necessary to obtain adequate image contrast. Under this grant, a new storage phosphor system is being investigated which has previously been shown to exhibit spatial resolutions in excess of 1O 1 p/mm, which is the minimum resolution required for intraoral radiography. The new storage phosphor system will be investigated to determine its potential as a replacement for periapical film. This would yield a high resolution storage phosphor screen and a low-cost digital image acquisition and display system suitable for wide-scale use by oral medicine practitioners.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:Success of the effort should lead to a cost-effective digital X-ray imaging system suitable for dental radiography. The system can potentially replace X-ray film in many clinical applications.National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR)

During the previous Phase I feasibility study, Quantex patented radiation storage phosphor screens were evaluated to assess their usefulness for oral radiography. The results of the Phase I effort indicated that it is possible to fabricate radiographic imaging screens from which digital radiographs can be obtained to exhibit better that 10 Lp/mm limiting resolution and reduced dose requirements relative to oral X-ray film. In addition, evaluations were made as to the most clinically useful read out system which would be developed during a Phase II continuation. In the proposed Phase II grant application, the aim will be to build on the Phase I accomplishments to fully optimize the storage phosphor screens for oral radiography and to design and build a prototype read out and digital display system suitable for clinical use. Part of the proposed Phase II effort will include a detailed characterization of the prototype system performance, including measurement of limiting MTF, noise power spectrum, detective quantum efficiency, and system quantum gain.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, clinical biomedical equipment, dental radiography, image enhancement, imaging /visualization, phosphorescence artificial intelligence, cerium, computer program /software, digital imaging, metal, radiation dosage, radiation hazard, rare earth element, strontium X ray