Ultrasound Localization of Tissues inside Alveolar Bone ex vivo

In the oral cavity, the alveolar bone and teeth roots play crucial roles. Accurate identification of the morphology of these structures is essential for many oral treatments. Cone beam computed tomography is a widely used clinical tool, but it has its limitations, including high radiation levels and inability to perform chairside operations. Depending on the tissues’ unique acoustic impedances, low-frequency ultrasound can provide a noninvasive solution for tissues’ localization inside alveolar bone. The tissues’ information is embodied in the ultrasound signals and can be reconstructed through signal processing. In this paper, the feasibility study conducted through ex vivo experiments demonstrates accurate counting of teeth roots within 1 sensing error using low-frequency ultrasound localization technique, compared with golden-standard CBCT results.