Method And Apparatus For The Assessment Of Gingival Blood Flow

Full Description

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a novel application of laser speckle imaging to measure blood flow in the gingiva/gums. Such measurements are important as an indicator of gingival inflammation. It is a good early marker for onset and treatment response in patients with gingivitis.

Suggested uses

Medical imaging device for the characterization of gingival blood flow

Advantages

Previous devices that have been used to measure gingival blood flow gave very inconsistent values due to pressure artifact, limited penetration depth and a much smaller region of interrogation. Currently clinical probing indices are used to identify and quantify gingivitis activity and quiescence. Clinical diagnosis lags days to weeks behind the pathological status of the tissues. The development of a real-time tool will allow better treatment outcomes from earlier diagnoses.

Patent Status