초록 ▼

The discovery of a new coefficient named “Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient-RSAC”, applicable in electronic foramen locators is described. The novelty is the use of the spectral attenuation of a multifrequency electrical current signal, applied through the endodontic file into the tooth can

The discovery of a new coefficient named “Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient-RSAC”, applicable in electronic foramen locators is described. The novelty is the use of the spectral attenuation of a multifrequency electrical current signal, applied through the endodontic file into the tooth canal (TC), to determine the root length and the foramen position. FIG. (2): (2.1), (2.4), (2.8) and (2.2), (2.5), (2.9) are the amplitude and frequency axes, respectively; (2.3) is the electrical current frequency spectrum applied into the TC; (2.6) shows the spectrum exponential decay (2.7) of the signal measured over the TC. In (2.10) the axes (2.4) and (2.5) were logaritmized to linearize the exponential decay. The RSAC is the average inclination of the line (2.11), which is proportional to the distance between the tip of the endodontic file and the apical foramen. The RSAC changes as the tip of the file gets near the foramen.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of determining a length of a radicular canal (RCL) of a tooth in a mouth and a location of an apical foramen (LAF) of the tooth using a Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), comprising: introducing a first electrode into the radicular canal of the tooth;attaching a second el

1. A method of determining a length of a radicular canal (RCL) of a tooth in a mouth and a location of an apical foramen (LAF) of the tooth using a Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), comprising: introducing a first electrode into the radicular canal of the tooth;attaching a second electrode to oral tissue of the mouth;applying a measurement signal to the radicular canal of the tooth by means of the first and second electrodes, the measurement signal comprising at least 4 different frequencies, each frequency having an applied voltage amplitude;measuring an electrical signal and determining relative spectral attenuation of voltage amplitude of the measurement signal as a function of frequency in order to determine an individual attenuation of voltage amplitude for each frequency;determining, based on the relative spectral attenuation of the measurement signal as a function of frequency, the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC); andderiving, from the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), the length of the radicular canal and location of a tip of an endodontic file relative to the apical foramen of the tooth. 2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the measurement signal includes at least the following components of frequency: 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz. 3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC) is determined according to the following equation: R⁢⁢S⁢⁢A⁢⁢C=tan-1[∑i=1N-1⁢(ln⁡(Ai)-ln⁡(Ai+1)ln⁡(fi)-ln⁡(fi+1))N-1] where Ai and Ai+1 are the attenuated voltage amplitudes measured for the plurality of frequencies,fi and fi+1 are the frequencies,ln is the natural logarithm,tan−1 is the arc tangent function,| | is the absolute value,Σ is the sum with i varying from one to N−1, andN is the number of frequency components used to generate f(t). 4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the measurement signal is comprised of an electrical current composed of at least the following frequency components: 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz and is determined by the following equation: f⁡(t)=A·∠i=1N⁢sin⁡(2·π·fi·t+φ⁢i)(1)where A is the sine wave amplitude for each of the frequencies,fi is the ith component of frequency,π=3.14151617,φi is the sine wave phase shift of the ith component of frequency,sin is the trigonometric sine wave function,t represents the time,Σ is the sum of the sine waves with i varying from one to N, andN is the number of sine waves used in the measurement of the length of the radicular canal (RCL). 5. A method as in claim 1, wherein determining the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC) comprises an average of 32 spectra of the measurement signal to improve the signal to noise ratio and improve localization of the apical foramen. 6. A method as in claim 1, wherein determining the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC) comprises the use of N components of frequency, wherein N is at least 5. 7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the method comprises conversion of the RSAC into a distance between a tip of the first electrode and the apical foramen of the tooth. 8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RSAC is converted into a distance between a tip of the first electrode and the apical foramen of the tooth using an empirically determined conversion curve. 9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RSAC is determined without using values of electrical resistance. 10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RCL and LAF are determined without using values of electrical resistance. 11. A method as in claim 6, wherein the value of N clinically assessed is at least 7. 12. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RSAC is determined without using values of electrical impedance applied to the tooth canal. 13. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RCL and LAF are determined without using values of electrical impedance applied to the tooth canal. 14. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RSAC is determined without using values of electrical current applied to the tooth canal. 15. A method as in claim 1, wherein the RCL and LAF are determined without using values electrical current applied to the tooth canal. 16. A method as in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of frequencies has the same applied voltage amplitude. 17. A method as in claim 1, wherein the measurement signal has a waveform that includes components of all of the plurality of frequencies. 18. A method of determining a length of a radicular canal (RCL) of a tooth in a mouth and a location of an apical foramen (LAF) of the tooth using a Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), comprising: introducing a first electrode into the radicular canal of the tooth;attaching a second electrode to oral tissue of the mouth;applying a measurement signal to the radicular canal of the tooth by means of the first and second electrodes, the measurement signal having a plurality of frequencies, including frequencies below 4 kHz and frequencies above 4 kHz, each frequency having an applied voltage amplitude;measuring an electrical signal and determining relative spectral attenuation of the voltage amplitude of the measurement signal as a function of frequency in order to determine an individual attenuation of voltage amplitude for each frequency;determining, based on the relative spectral attenuation of the measurement signal as a function of frequency, the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC); andderiving, from the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), the length of the radicular canal and location of a tip of an endodontic file relative to the apical foramen of the tooth. 19. A method as in claim 18, wherein the measurement signal includes at least the following components of frequency: 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz. 20. A method as in claim 18, wherein the measurement signal has a waveform that includes components of all of the plurality of frequencies. 21. A method of determining a length of a radicular canal (RCL) of a tooth in a mouth and a location of an apical foramen (LAF) of the tooth using a Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), comprising: introducing a first electrode into the radicular canal of the tooth;attaching a second electrode to oral tissue of the mouth;applying a measurement signal to the radicular canal of the tooth by means of the first and second electrodes, the measurement signal having a plurality of frequencies and a waveform that includes components of all of the plurality of frequencies, each frequency having an applied voltage amplitude that equals a voltage amplitude of every other frequency;measuring an electrical signal and determining relative spectral attenuation of the voltage amplitude of the measurement signal as a function of frequency in order to determine an individual attenuation of voltage amplitude for each frequency;determining, based on the relative spectral attenuation of the measurement signals as a function of frequency, the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC); andderiving, from the Radicular Spectral Attenuation Coefficient (RSAC), the length of the radicular canal and location of a tip of an endodontic file relative to the apical foramen of the tooth. 22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the measurement signals include frequencies ranging from 500 Hz to at least 32 kHz. 23. A method as in claim 18, wherein the measurement signals include at least the following components of frequency: 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz.