Patent ID: 6053731
Filing Date: 2000-04-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A device for detecting the presence of carries, plaque or bacterial infection on teeth, the device comprising:means for generating excitation radiation;a dental handpiece coupled to the generating means for receiving the excitation radiation therefrom and for directing said radiation away therefrom;a set of exchangeable light probe tips, each of the light probe tips being removably coupled with the dental handpiece for receiving the excitation radiation therefrom and for directing said radiation onto a region of a tooth, wherein fluorescence radiation is reflected by the tooth, and each of said light probe tips includes at least one individual emission fiber for receiving said excitation radiation from said dental handpiece and directing said excitation radiation onto said region of said tooth and a plurality of detection fibers for receiving said fluorescence radiation from said tooth and for conducting said fluorescence radiation to said dental handpiece, and wherein the light probe tip that is to be removably coupled with the dental handpiece is selected in dependence upon the surface property of the tooth region; andevaluation means coupled to the dental handpiece for receiving and evaluating the fluorescence radiation from the handpiece to identify carries, plaque or bacterial infection on said region of the tooth; and whereineach light probe tip (2) has at least one tube (25a, 25b, 25c) extending along the longitudinal direction of the light probe tip to stabilize the light probe tip.