Ultrasonic periodontal diagnostic instrumentation system with clinical results

A non-invasive electronic instrumentation system for the diagnosis of periodontal disease is proposed. With the exception of radiography, all diagnostic procedures are invasive and either painful or uncomfortable to the patient. While radiography is non-invasive, it cannot be used as frequently as desired due to the potentially harmful effects of radiation. A new device is proposed which is safe, non-invasive, and absolutely painless. The device consists of a pulser/receiver connected to a piezoelectric transducer which is housed within a hand-held probe. A breadboard model of this device was built and clinically tested. Preliminary results indicate that ultrasonic probe measurements may provide a potentially useful role for the diagnosis of periodontal disease.