Modified Sliding Singular Spectrum Analysis-Based Noncontact-Type Detection of Separated Instrument in Root Canal Therapy Using Low-Frequency Ultrasonic Pattern Transceiver Design

Abstract

In root canal therapy, breakage of the instrument in the root canal is the most common problem which may lead to failure of the treatment. The live localization of the separated instrument from root canal is a major challenge. The radiographic imaging and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-based detection methods are proposed by various researchers. In this article, a novel approach (noncontact type) is proposed which uses ultrasonic signal for detection and continuous localization of the separated instrument in the root canal. The ultrasonic signal is transmitted in the root canal using 20-80-kHz ultrasonic pattern generator designed using dental gel without directly touching the ultrasound probe to the tooth (noncontact type). The signals from tooth are received by the designed ultrasonic sensor using dental gel again as interface and then analyzed using sliding singular spectrum analysis (SSSA) approach to extract the information about the position of the separated instrument. The detected position of the separated instrument is displayed in real-time on the screen in a doctor-friendly form. The design has been tested on extracted teeth and human jaws at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi, India. This novel approach demonstrates an efficiency of approximately 87% and provides an ultraeconomical solution. The results show that this approach reduces the efforts to detect the position of the separated instrument without the loss of tooth anatomy and helps doctor extract the broken instrument out of root canal.