Abstract
At the beginning, applications of thermal imaging in dentistry were focused mostly on the assessment of thermal effects during filling cavities, laser treatment and inflammation of periodontal tissues. The biggest problem in thermal imaging was limiting access and rapid change of humidity when the mouth opens during measurements. However, nowadays thermal map of body surface is correlated with inflammatory state changing inner mouth. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of thermal imaging to localize the inflammation and monitor treatment effects after surgical removal of third retained molar teeth. The cohort consisted of 27 patients with referral for the surgical extraction of the third retained molar. Thermal imaging of the sagittal face was performed before and after the procedure and on the first, fourth and seventh day after the extraction. Obtained thermal maps are correlated with the third molar teeth inflammation location. Moreover, the changes of temperature in the area of both the tooth and the cheek correspond to the mechanisms of wound healing described in the literature. Obtained results were not only qualitative but also quantitative what was confirmed by statistically significant difference. It seems that thermal imaging, which is a noninvasive method, can be used to monitor treatment processes after surgical procedures, as well as on the location of inflammation.
Highlights
Infrared thermography is a field of science based on the detection of infrared radiation from an object at temperature above absolute zero
On the basis of the results presented above, a hypothesis can be proposed that thermal imaging is a useful tool for the evaluation of surgical procedures, and for the localization of inflammatory processes in periodontal tissues
Thermal imaging can be used to diagnose pathological conditions caused by tooth retention because the thermal map of the examined surface shows areas of increased metabolism in the form of higher temperature
Summary
Infrared thermography is a field of science based on the detection of infrared radiation from an object at temperature above absolute zero. Thermography has a wide range of applications, and it is used by the industry, the power and construction sectors, as well as medicine. Medical applications are based on the use of thermography in oncology, allergology, dermatology, physiotherapy, sports medicine, or even dentistry [2,3,4,5,6]. The connection between the body temperature and tissue metabolism allows thermal imaging to be used to assess disease processes, injuries and inflammatory processes. It allows to follow-up and monitoring the therapeutic procedures [7, 8]
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