초록 ▼

A method for obtaining an image of tooth tissue directs incident light toward a tooth (20), wherein the incident light excites a fluorescent emission from the tooth tissue. Specular reflection of incident light from the tooth tissue is reduced. Fluorescence image data (50) is obtained from the fluor

A method for obtaining an image of tooth tissue directs incident light toward a tooth (20), wherein the incident light excites a fluorescent emission from the tooth tissue. Specular reflection of incident light from the tooth tissue is reduced. Fluorescence image data (50) is obtained from the fluorescent emission. Back-scattered reflectance image data (52) is obtained from back-scattered light from the tooth tissue. The fluorescence and back-scattered reflectance image data are combined to form an enhanced image (64) of the tooth tissue for caries detection.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for obtaining an image of tooth tissue using a processing apparatus having a display, to perform steps comprising: directing incident light toward a tooth; obtaining fluorescence image data from a fluorescent emission excited by the incident light; obtaining, f

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for obtaining an image of tooth tissue using a processing apparatus having a display, to perform steps comprising: directing incident light toward a tooth; obtaining fluorescence image data from a fluorescent emission excited by the incident light; obtaining, from back-scattered light, back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth tissue; processing the fluorescence image data to generate a processed fluorescence image data and processing the reflectance image data to generate a processed reflectance image data, the processing of the fluorescence and reflectance image data being effective for all pixels to cause fluorescence values to equal or exceed corresponding reflectance values; and subtracting the processed reflectance image data from the processed fluorescence image data for each pixel to form an enhanced image of the tooth tissue wherein contrast between intensity values for pixels in a carious region and intensity values for pixels in a sound region is accentuated for display and recognition. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue comprises simultaneously displaying an image of the tooth obtained using a polychromatic light source. 4. The method of claim 2 wherein displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue comprises superimposing a threshold enhanced image on the tooth image. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining fluorescence image data from the tooth comprises using a camera. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the incident light includes wavelengths between about 300 and 500 nm. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the back-scattered reflectance image data comprises using a camera. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the camera is a color camera. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the fluorescence image data and back-scattered image data are obtained from different color planes of a single, full-color image capture. 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining steps are performed simultaneously. 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of subtracting processed fluorescence and reflectance image data comprises applying an image processing algorithm. 12. The method of claim 1 wherein directing incident light comprises energizing at least two light sources. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least two light sources are energized over different time intervals. 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least two light sources direct light toward the tooth at different incidence angles. 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising: directing a white light toward the tooth; and obtaining a white light image of the tooth. 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of directing incident light further comprises the step of providing a beamsplitter in the path of the incident light. 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises the step of energizing a laser. 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises the step of energizing an LED. 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises the step of energizing a lamp. 20. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth further comprises directing light through a light guiding structure. 21. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining fluorescence image data comprises the step of providing a telecentric optical element in the path of image-bearing light. 22. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying image thresholding to the image of the tooth tissue to further enhance the image of a carious region. 23. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a threshold image and superimposing the threshold image onto a polychromatic image for display. 24. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing specular reflection of incident light from the tooth tissue. 25. A method for obtaining an image of tooth tissue using a processing apparatus having a display, to perform steps comprising: directing incident light toward a tooth; obtaining fluorescence image data from a fluorescent emission excited by the incident light; obtaining, from back-scattered light, back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth tissue; and combining the fluorescence and back-scattered reflectance image data to form an enhanced image of the tooth tissue by, for at least one pixel: multiplying the fluorescence image data value by a first coefficient to form a first value; multiplying the reflectance image data value by a second coefficient to form a second value; and obtaining the difference between the first and second values. 26. The method of claim 25 wherein the second coefficient is one. 27. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of reducing specular reflection of incident light from the tooth tissue. 28. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue. 29. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of obtaining fluorescence image data from the tooth comprises using a camera. 30. The method of claim 25 wherein the incident light includes wavelengths between about 300 and 500 nm. 31. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of obtaining the back-scattered reflectance image data comprises using a camera. 32. The method of claim 31 wherein the camera is a color camera. 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the fluorescence image data and back-scattered image data are obtained from different color planes of a single, full-color image capture. 34. The method of claim 25 wherein the obtaining steps are performed simultaneously. 35. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of combining fluorescence and back-scattered reflectance image data comprises applying an image processing algorithm. 36. The method of claim 25 wherein directing incident light comprises energizing at least two light sources. 37. The method of claim 36 wherein the at least two light sources are energized over different time intervals. 38. The method of claim 36 wherein the at least two light sources direct light toward the tooth at different incidence angles. 39. The method of claim 25 further comprising: directing a white light toward the tooth; and obtaining a white light image of the tooth. 40. The method of claim 25 further comprising a step of displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue while simultaneously displaying an image of the tooth obtained using a polychromatic light source. 41. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of directing incident light further comprises a step of providing a beamsplitter in the path of the incident light. 42. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises a step of energizing a laser. 43. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises a step of energizing an LED. 44. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth comprises a step of energizing a lamp. 45. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of directing incident light toward the tooth further comprises directing light through a light guiding structure. 46. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of obtaining fluorescence image data comprises a step of providing a telecentric optical element in the path of image-bearing light. 47. The method of claim 25 further comprising applying image thresholding to the image of the tooth tissue to further enhance the image of a carious region. 48. The method of claim 25 further comprising generating a threshold image and superimposing the threshold image onto a polychromatic image for display. 49. The method of claim 25 further comprising a step of displaying the enhanced image of the tooth tissue while superimposing a threshold enhanced image on the tooth image. 50. A method for obtaining an image of a tooth using a processing apparatus having a display, to perform steps comprising: directing an incident light toward the tooth; obtaining fluorescence image data from a fluorescent emission excited by incident light having a first spectral range, the fluorescent emission having wavelengths outside of the first spectral range; obtaining, from back-scattered light over the first spectral range, back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth; processing the fluorescence image data to generate a processed fluorescence image data and processing the reflectance image data to generate a processed reflectance image data, the processing of the fluorescence and reflectance image data being effective for all pixels to cause fluorescence values to equal or exceed corresponding reflectance values; and subtracting the processed reflectance image data from the processed fluorescence image data for each pixel to form the image of the tooth wherein contrast between intensity values for pixels in a carious region and intensity values for pixels in a sound region is accentuated for display and recognition. 51. The method of claim 50 further comprising reducing specular reflection of incident light from the tooth. 52. A method for obtaining an image of a tooth using a processing apparatus having a display, to perform steps comprising: directing a first incident light toward the tooth, the first incident light having a first spectral range, wherein the first incident light excites a fluorescent emission from the tooth, wherein the fluorescent emission has wavelengths outside of the first spectral range; directing a second incident light toward the tooth, the second incident light having a second spectral range, wherein the second spectral range is not identical to the first spectral range; obtaining fluorescence image data from the fluorescent emission; obtaining, from back-scattered light over the second spectral range, back-scattered reflectance image data from the tooth; processing the fluorescence image data to generate a processed fluorescence image data and processing the reflectance image data to generate a processed reflectance image data, the processing of the fluorescence and reflectance image data being effective for all pixels to cause fluorescence values to equal or exceed corresponding reflectance values; and subtracting the processed reflectance image data from the processed fluorescence image data for each pixel to form the image of the tooth wherein contrast between intensity values for pixels in a carious region and intensity values for pixels in a sound region is accentuated for display and recognition. 53. The method of claim 52, further comprising reducing specular reflection of first or second incident light, or both, from the tooth.