Registration of thermal images of dead teeth to identify odontogenic infection foci

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-09, Vol.14 (1), p.21405-9, Article 21405
• Main Authors: Wziątek-Kuczmik, Daria, Mrowiec, Aleksandra, Niedzielska, Iwona, Stanek, Agata, Cholewka, Armand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/699; 692/700; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Asymptomatic; Asymptomatic infection; Body temperature; Dental diagnostic; Dental pulp; Disseminated infection; Female; Health risks; Heat detection; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; I.R. radiation; Image processing; Infections; Infrared radiation; Infrared Rays; Male; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Odontogenic infection foci; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Statistical analysis; Teeth; Thermography; Thermography - methods; Tooth - diagnostic imaging; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72565-y

Infrared thermal imaging (IRT) remotely and contactless maps the temperature on the examined surface, recording the distribution of infrared radiation emitted by each body whose temperature is higher than absolute zero. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of thermography in the assessment of asymptomatic infection foci in patients with high systemic infection. The 150 cases diagnosed based on roentgenograms, divided into 6 groups of diagnosed odontogenic lesions, along with a control group. Thermal imaging was performed with a FLIR Systems T1020 thermal camera. Thermal image analysis was performed using ThermaCAM Researcher Pro 2.10, MS Office Excel 2022 and Statistica 10. The periapical areas of selected dead teeth were selected as areas of interest. The Mann Whitney’s U test showed statistically significant (p