Scottish firm wins grant for optical caries assessment

Mar 11, 2009

LUX DS and the Centre for Clinical Innovations of the University of Dundee in Scotland have been awarded a grant by the U.K. Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to aid in the development of a photonics-based device for assessing dental disease.

LUX DS and 21 other finalists in the TSB's Technologies for Health competition will share approximately 10 million pounds ($14 million) to develop new products designed to bring healthcare closer to the community, the company said.

LUX DS, a division of LUX Innovate, is developing a series of photonics-based caries and demineralization assessment tools that utilize LUX Innovate's patent-pending Glowdent compound, according to the company's Web site.

Glowdent is a biological compound that luminesces in the presence of active tooth decay, capturing the dissolved tooth minerals and generating a light signal. That light signal is in turn captured by a custom intraoral device and an image -- a "demineralization map," according to the company -- is produced. Glowdent can be applied to all tooth sites, including occlusal and approximal surfaces, the LUX DS Web site states.

Published with permission of LUX DS. © LUX DS.

In collaboration with the University of Dundee, LUX is developing the Carivis caries assessment system, designed to detect dental demineralization by capturing the fluorescence from minerals released during the dissolution of hydroxyapatite.

"By distinguishing between active and inactive caries, the Carivis system not only allows the dentist to make better decisions on the type of restorative treatment to follow, but also provides them with a tool to better monitor caries progression and patients' oral health," LUX DS states on its Web site.

"The Carivis system for assessment of caries activity focuses on managing the disease by giving dental practitioners the unprecedented ability to look into its early stages and offer preventive solutions to the patient," said LUX Innovate CEO Artin Moussavi in a press release. "The funding received from the TSB is expected to significantly accelerate progress toward the regulatory approval of Carivis, allowing us to bring its benefits to the dental chair."

LUX DS will be attending IDS in Cologne, Germany, March 24-26 and will be presenting at the International Association of Dental Research meeting in Miami April 4.