Multispectral X-ray imaging to distinguish among dental materials

PURPOSE: Dual-energy X-ray imaging is widely used today in various areas of medicine and in other applications. However, no similar technique exists for dental applications. In this study, we propose a dual-energy technique for dental diagnoses based on voltage-switching. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The method presented in this study allowed different groups of materials to be classified based on atomic number, thereby enabling two-dimensional images to be colorized. Computer simulations showed the feasibility of this approach. Using a number of different samples with typical biologic and synthetic dental materials, the technique was applied to radiographs acquired with a commercially available dental X-ray unit. RESULTS: This technique provided a novel visual representation of the intraoral environment in three colors, and is of diagnostic value when compared to state-of-the-art grayscale images, since the oral cavity often contains multiple permanent foreign materials. CONCLUSION: This work developed a technique for two-dimensional dual-energy imaging in the context of dental applications and showed its feasibility with a commercial dental X-ray unit in simulation and experimental studies.