Russian scientists have patented a device with which dentists can quickly and painlessly diagnose inflammatory gum diseases such as periodontitis and gingivitis. With periodontitis, the timeliness of the diagnosis is especially important, because if it is not treated, you can lose healthy teeth.
The device was developed by specialists from the Penza State University (PSU), subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. The development works more accurately than analogues, but costs several times less. The device assesses the state of the tissues surrounding the tooth (periodontal) using an ultra-low current lasting a few seconds (about 10 μA).
“From the course of school physics, we all know that a liquid conducts electricity perfectly, and purulent exudate is an accumulation of inflammatory fluid in tissues. By increasing the current values, you can calculate the degree of clinical changes. The more pronounced inflammatory changes in periodontal tissues, for example, the presence of pus, the higher the value of the parameters of the current. This allows not only to carry out diagnostics, but also to plan treatment,” one of the developers told aif.ru. Andrey Demidov, postgraduate student of PSU.
The scientists patented the method itself in 2021, but the device has recently been finalized.
For diagnostics, a sensor is placed on the gum surface. It is a clip with two electrodes and is made of soft materials, which minimizes the risk of tissue injury. “The diagnostic sensor electrodes are made of silver and coated with silver chloride, so it does not change its properties and does not distort the control readings,” Demidov added.
During the procedure, the patient does not experience discomfort, it is completely safe. The received data is processed in a specially designed computer program.
The device was tested on 100 volunteers. The results showed that it is able to determine both the healthy state of the oral cavity and diagnose the disease of the tissues surrounding the tooth at the initial stage.
“The proposed method also makes it possible to monitor ongoing therapy, make timely changes in the tactics of treating patients and, as a result, reduce the duration of treatment and reduce the number of possible complications,” he said. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of PSU Sergey Gerashchenko.
Source: aif.ru
