Dental imaging system and image analysis

Abstract

An imaging system, optionally an intra-oral camera, includes a blue light source and a barrier filter over a camera sensor. Optionally, the imaging system can also take white light images. Optionally, the system includes positively charged nanoparticles with fluorescein. The fluorescent nanoparticles can be identified on an image of a tooth by machine vision or machine learning algorithms on a pixel level basis. Either white light or fluorescent images can be used, with machine learning or artificial intelligence algorithms, to score the lesions. However, the white light image is not useful for determining whether lesions, particularly ICDAS 0-2 lesions, are active or inactive. A fluorescent image, with the fluorescent nanoparticles, can be used to detect and score active lesions. Optionally using a white light image and a fluorescent image together allows for all lesions, active and inactive, to be located and scored, and for their activity to be determined.

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