JP2003210497A - Dental plaque examining device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and quantiatively detect the state of dental plaque stuck to the surface of a tooth. <P>SOLUTION: This dental plaque examining device has an irradiation part 4 for irradiating the surface of the tooth with light; a light receiving part 6 for receiving the reflected light 7; and a detecting means 8 for detecting the state of dental plaque 3 on the basis of the reflected light 7. The stuck state of the dental plaque can thereby be easily and quantitatively detected with the light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting dental plaque that detects the state of dental plaque adhering to the surface of teeth by light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to know the state of dental plaque adhering to the surface of a tooth, the only way to check it is with the naked eye, or by plaque staining with a special stain solution to confirm with the naked eye.

[0003]

However, in the conventional method, if a plaque dyeing solution is used to check the condition of plaque, it must be brushed and washed off after that. Further, although the front tooth can be confirmed by using a mirror or the like, it is difficult to confirm the plaque attached to the back tooth even by using the mirror.

In order to solve the above conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plaque inspecting apparatus capable of easily confirming the plaque condition simply by irradiating the tooth surface with light. It is what

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the plaque inspection apparatus of the present invention irradiates the surface of a tooth with light and detects the state of plaque based on the reflected light. It is the one.

As a result, it is possible to easily and quantitatively detect the adhesion state of the plaque on the surface of the tooth.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 irradiates a surface of a tooth with light, a light receiving portion for receiving reflected light thereof, and a state of dental plaque is detected based on the reflected light. With the plaque inspecting device having the detecting means, it is possible to easily and quantitatively detect the adhesion state of the plaque on the surface of the tooth. In particular, by detecting the wavelength distribution of the reflected light, it is possible to detect the tooth with plaque attached and the tooth without plaque, and the attachment state (amount) based on the intensity of the wavelength.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the dental plaque inspecting apparatus according to the first aspect is characterized in that the irradiation light applied to the tooth surface is infrared rays, and thus glucose or a high component of plaque is contained. Because the sugar dextran absorbs infrared light,
It is possible to know the condition of plaque attached to the tooth surface.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the dental plaque inspecting apparatus according to the first aspect is such that the light applied to the tooth surface is light of a single wavelength. Since the fluorescence emitted from the teeth is strong, it can be used as a light receiving portion of a photodiode matched to the wavelength. If there is no plaque on the surface of the tooth, the fluorescence from the tooth is still detected by the light receiving part, but if there is plaque covering the surface of the tooth, the intensity will decrease by that amount. , It is possible to detect the plaque adhering to the tooth surface with high accuracy.

According to the invention described in claim 4, the dental plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that the light applied to the tooth surface is ultraviolet light. (Reflected light) is emitted. If there is plaque on the surface of the tooth, less reflected light will be reflected. A tooth without plaque has strong reflected light, and a tooth with plaque changes the reflection intensity depending on the condition with plaque.By measuring the intensity, plaque can be detected with high accuracy. .

The invention according to claim 5 is the plaque inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the probe covering the teeth is provided with an irradiation part and a light receiving part. By contacting a part of the tooth with the tooth, the distance between the tooth and the irradiation unit or the light receiving unit can be kept constant, and reproducible and highly accurate detection of plaque can be performed.

The invention according to claim 6 is the plaque inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mouthpiece adapted to the shape of the tooth arrangement is provided with an irradiation section and a light receiving section. Thus, the plaque condition of each tooth can be detected at the same time.

The invention according to claim 7 is provided with an optical fiber for supplying irradiation light to the mouthpiece, and the light receiving portion is installed inside the mouthpiece so as to face the teeth, and the plaque inspection according to claim 6 By using the device, the plaque condition of each tooth can be detected accurately and reliably at the same time.

The invention according to claim 8 is the plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a display device for displaying the intensity of the light detected by the light receiving portion according to the tooth site. As a result, it is possible to know the plaque adhesion state more effectively. In addition, if a memory function is built in, the process of plaque adhesion can be monitored in units of days or months.

[0015]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for inspecting dental plaque according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An irradiation unit 4 for irradiating the surface of the tooth 1 with light and a light receiving unit 6 for receiving the reflected light. , And a detection means 8 for detecting the state of plaque based on the reflected light. Tooth 1 is present in the gum 2 and plaque 3 is present on the surface of the tooth 1.
Is attached. Irradiation light 5 is emitted from the irradiation unit 4 in order to irradiate the tooth 1 with the plaque 3 attached thereto with light.

The irradiation light 5 which hits the tooth 1 and the dental plaque 3 is absorbed by the light or converted into a specific wavelength of light and is received by the light receiving portion 6 as reflected light 7. As the irradiation unit 4, a semiconductor laser, a photo LED, or the like is used. A photodiode or the like is used for the light receiving section 6.

The tooth 1 emits strong fluorescence toward the long wavelength side when it is irradiated with light of a specific wavelength. Therefore, by measuring the intensity of the emitted light (intensity of absorption wavelength),
It is possible to easily and quantitatively detect the state of adhesion of plaque on the surface of the tooth. In particular, by detecting the wavelength distribution of the reflected light, it is possible to detect the tooth with plaque attached and the tooth without plaque, and the attachment state (amount) based on the intensity of the wavelength.

Dextran is contained as one of the components of dental plaque 3, and glucose is influenced as a source of dextran. The amount of the plaque 3 attached can be accurately determined from the absorption wavelength of the dextran, for example, in the infrared region. That is, when the irradiation light 5 applied to the surface of the tooth 1 is infrared rays, the glucose or polysaccharide dextran, which is a component of the dental plaque 3, absorbs the infrared rays. You can know the situation.

If the irradiation light 5 with which the surface of the tooth 1 is irradiated is light of a single wavelength, the fluorescence emitted from the tooth 1 is strong with respect to the irradiated light. By selecting the photodiode, the plaque 3 attached to the surface of the tooth 1 can be effectively and accurately detected. If there is no plaque 3 on the surface of the tooth 1, the fluorescence from the tooth 1 is still detected by the light receiving unit 6, but if there is plaque 3 covering the surface of the tooth 1, the strength is reduced accordingly. By measuring the ratio, the plaque 3 adhering to the surface of the tooth 1 can be accurately detected.

When the irradiation light 5 applied to the surface of the tooth 1 is ultraviolet light, when the ultraviolet light hits the tooth 1, it emits fluorescent radiation light (reflected light). If there is plaque 3 on the surface of tooth 1,
The reflected light 7 reflected is reduced. The reflected light 7 is strong for the tooth 1 without the plaque 3, and the reflected intensity of the tooth 1 with the plaque 3 changes depending on the condition with the plaque 3. Therefore, by measuring the intensity, the tooth 1 can be accurately measured. The plaque 3 can be detected.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows an apparatus for inspecting dental plaque according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, which has a probe 21 for covering the irradiation section 4 and the light receiving section 6 of the inspection apparatus.

In this embodiment, the tooth 1 and the gum 2 are
It is covered by the probe tip 21 a of the probe 21. The probe tip 21a has an irradiation part 4 and a light receiving part 6 inside, and a part of the probe tip 21a is brought into direct contact with the tooth 1 to stabilize the position of the probe 21. Thereby, the tooth 1 and the irradiation unit 4 or the light receiving unit 6
The distance from can be kept constant, and reproducible and highly accurate detection of plaque can be performed no matter how many times it is measured.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 3 and 4 show an apparatus for inspecting dental plaque according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
The mouthpiece 9 having a tooth profile 10 formed to match the shape of the teeth is provided with an irradiation unit and a light receiving unit. The mouthpiece 9 is made of transparent silicone or the like and has a cord 11 connected thereto so that it can emit irradiation light and detect reflected light. As a result, the plaque condition of each tooth can be detected at the same time without any trouble.

Further, the one shown in FIG. 4 is provided with an optical fiber 13 in the mouthpiece 9 for effectively and uniformly spreading the irradiation light, and a light receiving portion constituting a light receiving portion is provided at an inner position facing the front and back of the tooth. Each element 14 is installed.
Thereby, the plaque condition of each tooth can be detected accurately and reliably at the same time.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 5 shows a dental plaque inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, in which a display device 18 for displaying the intensity of light detected by the light receiving portion 15 in accordance with the tooth site is shown. It is equipped with.

That is, the light that hits the teeth and plaque and is received by the light receiving portion 15 as reflected light is used as a detection signal 19 for an algorithm 16 for determining the adhesion state of plaque.
Be led to. The algorithm 16 determines the adhesion state of the plaque to the tooth currently inspected by comparing it with the reference value 17, and displays the result on the display device 18 to make it easy for the subject to understand. There is something.

If the display device 18 has a built-in memory function, it is possible to monitor the process of plaque deposition in units of days or months.

[0029]

As described above, according to the plaque inspecting apparatus of the present invention, the surface of the tooth is irradiated with light, and the light reflected on the surface of the tooth is detected to detect the tooth on which the plaque is attached. It is possible to easily and quantitatively detect the adhesion state (amount) of a tooth to which plaque is not adhered, by the intensity of the wavelength.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a plaque inspection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a plaque inspection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a plaque inspection apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a plaque inspection device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 tooth 3 plaque 4 irradiation part 5 irradiation light 6,15 Light receiving part 7 reflected light 9 mouthpiece 10 tooth profile 11 codes 13 optical fiber 14 Light receiving element 18 Display 21a probe tip 21 probe

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for inspecting dental plaque, comprising: an irradiating section for irradiating the surface of the tooth with light; a light receiving section for receiving the reflected light thereof; 2. The plaque inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation light with which the surface of the tooth is irradiated is infrared light. 3. The dental plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light with which the tooth surface is irradiated is light of a single wavelength. 4. The dental plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light with which the surface of the tooth is irradiated is ultraviolet light. 5. The dental plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the probe covering the teeth is provided with an irradiation unit and a light receiving unit. 6. The mouthpiece adapted to the shape of teeth alignment is provided with an irradiating section and a light receiving section.
The apparatus for inspecting dental plaque according to the item. 7. The dental plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an optical fiber for supplying irradiation light to the mouthpiece, and the light receiving section being installed inside the mouthpiece opposite to the teeth. 8. The plaque inspection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a display device that displays the intensity of light detected by the light receiving unit according to the tooth site.