預防牙周病致病因子的手持式螢光造影棒

The pain point in diagnosing dental plaque (translucent biofilm) and calculus (light-colored tartar) lies in the fact that, at present, only experienced practitioners can visually identify them. Even in clinical practice, the process still relies on labor-intensive and time-consuming plaque-disclosing agents, which require application and subsequent rinsing to enhance the contrast between plaque and teeth. This has made it difficult to implement the globally recognized dental hygiene index—Plaque Control Record (PCR), first introduced in 1972—into every clinical diagnosis. This work includes: [1] Smart Dental Selfie Stick (short name for the project “Handheld Fluorescence Imaging Stick”). Its optical specifications are based on a highly specific fluorescence technology targeting the chemical composition of dental plaque. Key advantages include: (A) Biosafety – avoids high-energy light sources such as deep blue or UV that may pose risks to the retina. (B) High contrast – plaque can be easily visualized by the naked eye. (C) Wide field of view – enables imaging of multiple teeth simultaneously. (D) Operation under normal indoor lighting – no need to switch off lights to observe fluorescence. Its electronics and system design allow for a completely wireless, selfie-stick-like user experience (no power or signal cables) with smooth operation. [2] AIoT Architecture & Application (App). (A) On-device edge AI computation—world-leading in distinguishing plaque from calculus, with clear delineation of calculus’ curved boundary lines. Thanks to its optical design, multiple teeth can be captured and analyzed simultaneously, differentiating between inner and outer tooth surfaces, plaque types, and distribution areas. (B) Automatic generation of the clinical PCR table—further advancing global practice by creating personalized, image-based PCR records. These visual records, adapted to tooth size, allow even children to easily understand where plaque is present, thereby enhancing self-cleaning guidance or aiding dentists during scaling. The cloud platform adopts a dual-layer approach: engineering cloud and user cloud, adjustable to future eHealth record management needs of dental clinics or personal health diary planning. Expected Impact: This work not only resolves pain points in dental diagnosis but also serves as: A navigation tool for dental scaling and insurance subsidy assessment, A self-guided oral hygiene assistant for the public, A biophotonics / health education / information science teaching tool, An efficacy evaluation tool for other dental cleaning or treatment products, An automatic generator of visual medical records. Ultimately, this innovation aims to enhance the technological value of Taiwan’s photonics and medical industries, boosting international competitiveness.