Systems, devices, and methods for lowering dental x-ray dosage including feedback sensors
Systems, devices, and methods are described for providing, among other things, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system configured to reduce patient exposure to x-rays, reduce amount of scatter, transmission, or re-radiation during imaging, or improve x-ray image quality. In an embodiment, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system includes an intra-oral x-ray sensor configured to communicate intra-oral x-ray sensor position information or intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation information to a remote x-ray source.
1. An intra-oral x-ray sensor, comprising:
an x-ray image component configured to acquire intra-oral x-ray image information associated with a patient; and
an intra-oral radiation shield structure configured to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%, wherein a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure is flexible or jointed so as to conform to a portion of an oral cavity.
2. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure includes one or more high atomic number (high-Z) materials in an amount sufficient to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%.
3. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure includes one or more materials having a K-edge greater than 15 kiloelectron volts in an amount sufficient to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%.
4. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure includes one or more materials having an L-edge greater than 10 kiloelectron volts in an amount sufficient to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%.
5. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure includes a laminate structure having at least a first layer and a second layer, the second layer having an x-ray attenuation profile different from the first layer.
6. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure is mounted behind an x-ray image detector on the intra-oral x-ray sensor.
7. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure is formed from at least one x-ray attenuating material, x-ray radio-opaque material, or x-ray attenuating ceramic material.
8. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure is removably attachable.
9. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure is composed of at least a first x-ray shielding material and a second x-ray shielding material, the second x-ray shielding material having one or more absorption edges different from the first x-ray shielding material.
10. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first x-ray shielding material or the second x-ray shielding material includes at least one material that absorbs x-rays at one or more frequencies and fluoresces x-rays at one or more lower frequencies.
11. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the second x-ray shielding material is interlayered with at least a portion of the first x-ray shielding material.
12. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 9 , wherein the second x-ray shielding material includes one or more K-edges, or one or more L-edges, different from the first x-ray shielding material.
13. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 9 , wherein the second x-ray shielding material includes an x-ray mass attenuation coefficient different from the first x-ray shielding material.
14. An intra-oral x-ray sensor, comprising:
an x-ray image component configured to acquire intra-oral x-ray image information associated with a patient; and
an intra-oral radiation shield structure configured to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%, wherein the intra-oral radiation shield structure includes a composition having a carrier fluid and a plurality of x-ray shielding particles each having at least a first x-ray shielding agent and a second x-ray shielding agent, the second x-ray shielding agent having one or more absorption edges different from the first x-ray shielding agent.
15. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure has an x-ray shielding lead equivalence of about 0.25 millimeters to about 0.5 millimeters.
16. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the intra-oral radiation shield structure extends outwardly beyond a terminal border of an x-ray image detector forming part of the intra-oral x-ray sensor.
17. An intra-oral x-ray sensor, comprising:
an x-ray image component configured to acquire intra-oral x-ray image information associated with a patient;
an intra-oral radiation shield structure configured to reduce at least one of x-ray scattering, transmission, or re-radiation by at least 50%; and
an x-ray backscatter component operably coupled to the x-ray image component;
wherein the x-ray image component is configured to detect backscattering, and the x-ray backscatter component is configured to modify the intra-oral x-ray image information responsive to one or more inputs from the x-ray image component indicative of the presence of backscatter.
18. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
an embedded orientation detection component configured to generate information associated with at least one of an intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation, an intra-oral x-ray sensor position, an intra-oral x-ray sensor dimension, or an intra-oral x-ray sensor centroid position.
19. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to one or more orientation sensors.
20. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to one or more local positioning system based sensors.
21. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to at least two acceleration sensors in a substantially perpendicularly arrangement.
22. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to at least one electrolytic fluid based sensor.
23. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to a two-axis tilt sensor configured to detect an intra-oral x-ray sensor pitch angle and an intra-oral x-ray sensor roll angle.
24. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 18 , wherein the embedded orientation detection component is operably coupled to one or more acoustic transducers.
25. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray image component is operably coupled to one or more charge-coupled devices.
26. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray image component is operably coupled to one or more complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors.
27. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more active optic devices configured to generate an output indicative of an intra-oral x-ray sensor border position.
28. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more passive optics devices configured to indicate an intra-oral x-ray sensor border position.
29. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a beacon component configured to convey information associated with at least one of a sensor position or a sensor orientation.
30. The intra-oral x-ray sensor of claim 29 , wherein the beacon component is operably coupled to a transducer configured to generate an output indicative of an intra-oral x-ray sensor border position.