The applications of infrared thermography in surgical removal of retained teeth effects assessment

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

May thermal imaging be useful in the assessment of dentalanaesthesia? : preliminary study

The main goal of this study was to find out if thermal imaging may be useful in the evaluation of two types of anaesthetic injections-with and without a vasoconstrictor. There were 20 patients (13 women and 7 men) involved in the study. The group was divided into two subgroups. Patients from the first subgroup received infiltration anaesthesia (so-called: IA) of lidocaine (2 mL) and the second group included patients, who received infiltration anaesthesia (so-called: IAN) of lidocaine with 2% noradrenaline (2 mL). The obtained results showed a significant increase in the average temperature 10 min after the injection. In the IA group, the temperature increase was nearly 1.0 °C what was 0.3 °C higher than in the IAN group. Moreover, temperature changes showed a wide plateau between 10 and 25 min after anesthesia administration. The effect of temperature rise was also observed on the contralateral cheek where there was no intervention renders by a contralateral reflex