Apparatus for measuring sulfides within a periodontal pocket
AssigneeDiamond General Development Corporation
InventorDonald L. Musinski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A probe for diagnosing periodontal disease includes a sulfide responsive measuring electrode and a reference electrode joined by a salt bridge. The reference electrode is maintained in a saturated salt environment. The probe may include a sound generation for providing an auditory indication of sulfide concentration.
Claims15
A probe for diagnosing the presence and extent of disease in a periodontal pocket containing sulcal fluid, by measuring the concentration of sulfides in said fluid, said probe comprising:
- a housing having a first end defining a tip configured to probe the periodontal pocket;
- a sulfide-responsive, measuring electrode supported by said housing with a surface portion thereof disposed in said tip so as to establish fluid communication with said sulcal fluid when said tip is disposed in said pocket;
- a reference electrode supported by said housing at a location which will not contact said sulcal fluid when the tip is disposed in the pocket, said reference electrode having a surface portion thereof disposed in a body of a salt;
- a salt bridge material which is disposed so as to establish a conductive path between said body of salt and said measuring electrode when the tip is disposed in the sulcal fluid;
- a first electrical lead in electrical communication with the measuring electrode;
- a second electrical lead in electrical communication with the reference electrode;
- said probe being operative, when immersed in said sulcal fluid, to generate an electrical potential between said measuring electrode and said reference electrode which is proportional to the concentration of sulfide in said sulcal fluid.
A probe for diagnosing the presence and extent of disease in a periodontal pocket containing sulcal fluid, by measuring the concentration of sulfides in said fluid, said probe comprising:
- a housing;
- a tip configured to probe a periodontal pocket, said tip being disposed at a first end of said housing;
- a sulfide-responsive, measuring electrode supported by said housing with a surface portion thereof disposed in said tip so as to establish fluid communication with said sulcal fluid when said tip is disposed in said pocket;
- a reference electrode supported by said housing;
- a body of salt bridge material disposed so as to establish ionic conductivity between the measuring electrode and the reference electrode and to prevent direct fluid contact of the reference electrode with the sulcal fluid;
- a first electrical lead in electrical communication with said measuring electrode;
- a second electrical lead in electrical communication with said reference electrode;
- said probe being operative, when immersed in said sulcal fluid, to generate an electrical potential between said measuring electrode and said reference electrode which is proportional to the concentration of sulfide in said sulcal fluid.
A system for diagnosing the presence and extent of disease in a periodontal pocket containing sulcal fluid, said system including:
- a sulfide responsive probe comprising:
- a housing having a tip configured to probe a periodontal pocket disposed at a first end thereof, a measuring electrode and a reference electrode, operative to establish an electrical potential therebetween when said tip is immersed in a sulfide containing fluid, said potential being proportional to the concentration of sulfide in said fluid;
- and
- an auditory signal generator in electrical communication with said probe, said signal generator being operative to sense the potential generated by said electrodes and provide an auditory signal corresponding thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.