When a problem tooth is discovered, one of the first questions a patient will ask is, “Can you save my tooth?” As a clinician, your primary goal is to preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible, and early caries detection and diagnosis is often the key.
Logicon Caries Detector software from Carestream Dental helps clinicians detect and treat caries at an early stage, allowing for more minimally invasive treatments. It is an FDA-approved, computer-aided tool that eases the daily task of diagnosing digital radiographs for interproximal caries on permanent teeth—by locating and classifying caries, indicating depth of caries penetration, and detecting dentin lesions that are not visible to the human eye.
How It Works
The version 5.2 software uses laboratory data acquired from a leading dental school to create a database of known caries problems. Detection algorithms are then used to pair a patient’s radiograph image features against the database. Logicon automatically outlines abnormalities, such as a potential lesion on a tooth image, and graphically presents the change in tooth density and lesion probability. The software can be fully integrated with Carestream Dental’s imaging software, and results can be saved to a patient’s file or emailed to a third party.
“The biggest challenge Logicon has helped me overcome is determining whether or not to treat an incipient interproximal lesion,” said Dr. Patricia DeCino, who uses Logicon on any case where caries are suspected. “If the software determines a lesion should not be restored, the area that is triangulated on turns yellow. If it should be restored, it is red.”
Based on a clinical study, Logicon software enabled dentists like Dr. DeCino to discover 20% more caries cases that penetrated into the dentin of a permanent tooth than if they analyzed radiographs alone.1
User-Friendly Tool
Clinicians can get started quickly with Logicon software using an interactive training wizard and easy steps guide. A preloaded electronic user handbook includes training slideshows with audio tracks and example analyses, making it simple to train other staff members.
“My hygienists use the software and will have the data ready for me when I arrive for the exam,” noted Dr. DeCino.
New software features include fewer and more simplified icons, better organized menu bars, and an updated interface featuring a modern black color scheme. Dr. DeCino enjoys having an easyto-use tool that lets her present lesions to her patients in a way that they can actually visualize. “It is very user-friendly and I can show the patient the results,” she concluded.
1 Gakenheimer, David C., "The Efficacy of a Computerized Caries Detector in Intraoral Digital Radiography." Journal of the American Dental Association 133 (2002): 883–890
