US3539805A - Head positioning device for dental x-ray systems - Google Patents

Description

, 1970 w. R. SHILLER ET AL 3,539,805

HEAD POSITIONING DEVICE FOR DENTAL X-RAY SYSTEMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1969 HEAD POSITIONING DEVICE FOR DENTAL X-RAY SYSTEMS Nov. W, 191@ W. R. SHILLER ET AL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21, 1969 INVENTORS.

NOV. 10, 1970 5 ET AL 3,539,

HEAD POSITIONING DEVICE FOR DENTAL X-RAY SYSTEMS Filed March 21, 1969 SSheetsr-Sheet 3 United States Patent,

3,539,805 IEAD POSITIONING DEVICE FOR DENTAL X-RAY SYSTEMS William R. Shiller, RED. 5, Box 597, Gales Ferry, Conn. 06335, and Mieczyslaw F. Zyra, 1002 Hampden St., Holyoke, Mass. 01040 Filed Mar. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 809,360 Int. Cl. G01n 21/00 U.S. Cl. 250-50 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A head orientation and positioning fixture having earengaging, nose-abutting, teeth-spreading components to be used as an accessory for a panoramic scan dental X- ray machine, to sustain the subjects head stably in anterior-posterior, superior-inferior, and lateral positions during the substantial fraction of a minute required to complete a full mouth X-ray exposure and also locate the subjects head in essentially the same position at a later time for another full mouth X-ray exposure whereby time-spaced X-rays can be overlaid to facilitate detection of changes.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Panoramic X-ray equipment operates to arcuately scan a dental patients oral structures with a narrow X-ray beam directed through the mouth region of the head toward a film carrier on the opposite side of the patients head. Though the X-ray equipment traverses an arcuate path around the patients head, the beam is discontinuous during a traverse so as not to irradiate the spine. Also the beam direction shifts relative to the film carrier during a traverse so that a full mouth oral structure image is obtained on a rectangular film supported in the carrier. A chin support provided with such equipment limits the patients range of movement during the exposure period but does not positively lock the patients head against all movement during the relatively lengthy scan period. Movement of the patients head during the scan period distorts at least part of the X-ray image.

Additionally, for longitudinal studies of oral health a reproducible method of X-ray exposure of a patients oral structures is required so that changes may be detected by comparing or overlaying time displaced X-rays. Panoramic X-ray equipments advanced the feasibility of longitudinal studies in such large measure that though such equipments lacked a contrivance for head positioning that could be operated to position the patients head at widely spaced time intervals in precisely the same orientation relative to the X-ray equipment, the equipment has been used advantageously by organizations responsible for the dental health of large numbers of individuals over a period of years. Also, there must be a gap between the upper and lower teeth during panoramic X-ray but there has been no standard spacing technique which has made more difiicult the comparison of serial X-rays.

An object of this invention is to stably and reproducibly position and orient the head and gap the upper and lower teeth of an individual for panoramic scan X-ray.

A further object is to provide a reproducible method of exposing panoramic X-rays of the oral structures so that changes over a period of time can be observed.

Another object is to provide a precise head positioning device that permits exact orientation of the head in all planes and permits duplication of this position for serial 3,539,805 Patented Nov. 10, 1970 X-ray exposures and that does not interfere with X-ray exposure.

A further object is to provide improved techniques for longitudinal studies of oral health of selected groups.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of a preferred embodiment of this invention in use on a subject, and showing a part of the associated X-ray equipment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the disclosed embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a bite plate shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is plan view on an enlarged scale of portion 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The invention embodiment shown in the drawings is a head positioning device between an X-ray source and film holder that moves around the head positioning fixture 10. The fixture 10 includes a horizontal base member 12 formed with a forked end presenting furcations 14 and 16 through which extends traversely a winged clamping screw 18. Between the furcations there is clamped a vertical support 20 that carries parallel horizontal pivot pins 22 and 24. A pair of essentially identical rocker arm type lever members 26, 28 are retained by the pivot pins. The rocker arms have short lever arms 30, 32 that depend along the earpiece support and curved arms 34, 36 several times longer than the arms 30, 32 to frame the lower part of the head to be X-rayed. The support 20 includes a shoulder portion 21 through which extends a screw 37 terminating in a conical cam tip 38. The contiguous lowor corners 39, 40 of the short lever arms 30, 32 are angled to facilitate entry of the camming tip 38. Flat springs 42, 44 fixed to the sides of support 20 urge the short lever arms against the camming tip 38. Ear plugs 46 are carried by the ends of the curved arms 34, 36 approximately in line and are adjustable axially. The support 20 is slotted to register with the screw 18 for constraining the support 20 in one vertical position relative to base 12 but permitting adjustment normal to base 12 into and out of the forked end of base 12.

A bite pillar 50 is mounted on the outer end of base 12. At the upper end, the bite pillar 50 is stepped to present a nose abutment bar 52. Below the abutment bar, the bite pillar is for-med with a series of parallel slots 54 inclined upwardly toward the opposite end of the base 12. An oval bite plate 56 is supported in a slot 54. The rocker arms 34, 36, the column 50 nose abutment 52, and bite plate 56 are of resinous material essential transparent to X-ray.

The fixture 10 is fixed to a stanchion 58 carried by a dental chair. Brackets, not shown, supporting the stanchion permit the fixture to be swung into a dented-indexed position after a subject is in the chair and out of that position when the subject is ready to leave the chair. The vertical position of the fixture is not adjustable. The chair seat is adjustable vertically as is conventional.

When a subject is seated in the chair, the fixture is moved into operating position. The chair is adjusted. Then with the subjects head in position between the rocker arms, the camming screw 37 is rotated to displace the rocker arms against the urging of the flat springs 42 and 44 to position the ear plugs snugly into the subjects ears. Then the subject tilts his head forwardly to Where his nose just touches the nose bar. An oval bite plate 56 is seated in that slot most comfortable for the subject to bite upon. The support 20 is adjusted if necessary. After the subject is thus positioned, the X-ray is taken and the slot number in which the bite plate is seated is recorded so that the bite plate may be positioned in the same slot during a future X-ray. The position of the adjustable bite plate and the nose abutment and earpieces locate the head of the subject repeatably in the same position for serial X-rays for longitudinal studies of oral health.

An alternative construction, not shown, for the column is to support a calibrated column frictionally in an opening or notch in the base or clamp on the base and a lock screw to retain the column in selected vertical position; the bite plate is afiixed to the column.

We claim:

1. A fixture for use in combination with a panoramic scan type of dental X-ray equipment comprising a base member adapted to be secured to a dental chair at a constant height,

ear engaging means carried by the base,

a column carried by the base,

nose abutting means on the column, and

a bite plate for separating upper and lower teeth carried by the column.

2. A fixture as defined in claim 1 wherein said ear engaging means includes ear plug elements adapted to be seated in both ears of a subject to be X-rayed.

3. A fixture as defined in claim 2 wherein said ear engaging means includes essentially identical rocker arm members pivotally supported by the base and having arms of unequal length, and

said ear plugs being supported at the ends of the longer arms of the rocker arm members and directed toward each other.

4. A fixture as defined in claim 3 further including spring means engaging the rocker arm members for urging the ear plugs away from each other, and

means carried by the base and engaging the shorter arms of the rocker arm members and adjustable to space the ear plugs a selected distance apart against the urging of the spring means.

5. A fixture as defined in claim 4 further including means securing said base to a dental chair with said rocker arm members and said column oriented vertically,

said column being formed with a series of spaced slots inclined upwardly toward the rocker arm members for seating the bite plate.

6. A fixture for use in combination with a panoramic scan type of dental X-ray equipment comprising means carrying a bite element and a nose abutment;

a pair of substantially identical arms pivotally supported intermediate their ends on said means about parallel axes and in the same plane;

ear plugs secured to a pair of corresponding ends of the arms;

spring means engaging the arms for urging the ear plug ends apart and for urging the other ends toward each other; and

an element carried by said means for adjusting the spread of the ear plugs in opposition to the urging of the spring means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1955 Delk 2505O 10/1964 Blair 250-50

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