Dental Decay Detection & Monitoring System

Customer: CarieScan Limited

Application: Dental decay monitoring device

Custom Design:

• Embedded custom data acquisition board
• Custom mechanical design
• Custom wirelesssensor design
• Complete software system design
• Medical certification management
• CarieScan (OEM) branding

In October 2007, CarieScan Limited, a high-technology company has launched its first two products, CarieScan and CarieScan Plus, for detecting dental caries (decay) and provision of a meaningful patient database.

The CarieScan device has been developed to provide a more accurate method of detection and monitoring of dental caries than either X-ray radiography or conventional visual assessment. It is the first dental diagnostic tool to use AC impedance spectroscopy to quantify dental caries in teeth early enough to enhance preventative treatment. The system is both comfortable and safe for the patient, as there is no exposure to harmful X-rays, which also makes it applicable in a wider range of patients; it is also easy to operate.

Change from restoration to prevention is becoming adopted worldwide. As a diagnostic system, the CarieScan device has greater than 92 percent accuracy. There are very few false positives or false negatives, and it has the ability for early detection. Dentists have a tool to improve decay management and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.

Commercialisation

AC impedance-based systems are generally extremely bulky and can weigh up to 30 kilograms when coupled with suitable medical interfaces. The CarieScan development team wanted to shrink the technology into a small, handheld system, and this is where SKF' Condition Monitoring Centre (CMC) in Livingston , Scotland , came into the picture.

CarieScan first approached SKF CMC in 1999, which offered a customizable technology platform, in early 1999," says Dr Alasdair Christie, head of development and operations at CarieScan Ltd. "The technology match fitted well. Their product already had the portable response capability, and a custom board enabled us to incorporate the source output and medical safety features. Modified embedded software enabled a custom platform with a specific end use to be developed."

One of the key issues for CarieScan, in choosing SKF CMC as a development partner, was the fact that the company had both the knowledge of medical device design and manufacture as well as an understanding of the processes needed to take a product from development to production. SKF CMC Livingston contributed to the project by developing initial prototypes, using SKF's electronic, mechanical and in-house software design capabilities. A major part of the early development involved analysis of the signals generated by the scanning system for the dental caries application using a technique called "fast Fourier transform" (FFT) analysis.

Christie adds, "This partnership gives CarieScan Ltd the benefits of a larger company by utilizing an already-established infrastructure. We reduce the development risk by using a team with a proven track record, we reduce costs by not having to duplicate resources, and we reduce time-to-market by adapting existing technology."

Both companies worked together on the seven-stage process that took the product concept from marketing specifications to planning, design, implementation, product verification and testing through to pilot manufacturing and full release. "It's been a great project," Christie says. "It is an iterative process, and we've gained a lot from it."

CarieScan Ltd is now building an international distribution network to support its ambitious growth programme. Target market segments include software, dental equipment and supplies.