It just seems wrong. That is holding the x-ray tube in your hands and shooting an x-ray. It scares people even though the research shows it is perfectly safe. The first handheld X-Ray unit to be approved for use in the US is the Nomad from Aribex. The article linked below quotes independent research that indicates handheld  x -ray units are just as safe as the old fashioned wall mounted kind.

…the NOMAD handheld dental x-ray system produces staff radiation exposure doses so low that the vast majority of users received no measurable radiation dose.

via Handheld and Portable X-ray – Aribex, Inc..

The parents brought a copy of a standard two-dimensional panoramic radiograph from the previous consultation, which demonstrated an un-erupted lower right first bicuspid. The 2-D panoramic image showed that the tooth was failing to erupt; however, it was difficult to determine exactly what was preventing the eruption,

via Unusual Impaction Revealed By CBCT Scan | CBCT For Everyone.

This article is interesting on so many levels. It is most definitely a political rant but it is also a look at the emerging world of exact science and medicine in the digital age. See this article for another quick take. Who owns the data? Who can or should control our access to our own medical data? The government? The medical profession? Or the individual? 

The phrase “outside of a clinical setting” means information provided by someone who is not part of the medical priesthood.

via FuturePundit: UC Berkeley Students Denied Genetic Test Results.

Update: Related

This interests me for two reasons. First it is a real world example of a concept I have been trying to describe for a while. That is that large numbers of people working through a distributed network in the cloud can produce  complex results that far exceed what any one person or research lab could do on its own. Imagine this kind of knowledge being harnessed to diagnose a disease.

Second it is a step toward exact medicine based on specific proteins and human biomes so that a drug, for example, could be fabricated that exactly fits an individual and the disease that afflicts them.

No more; this drug works 65% of the time and produces XYZ side effects. Our current understanding is that a drug or therapy only works sometimes because of differences, often at the molecular level, between individuals and their pathogens. Once exact descriptions are possible exact remedies can follow.

And third it is just cool that gamers, who are so often depicted as slacker losers, are really doing something worthwhile.

Researchers have developed a video game that rewards players for solving the scientifically substantial puzzles surrounding protein folding. The game, called Foldit, is the latest twist in the move toward the use of distributed computing and crowd-sourcing to solve huge scientific challenges.

Figuring out how complex molecules are bent and twisted could be key to developing new medicines and even nano-machines.

via Cosmic Log – Gamers solve protein puzzles.

This study was performed to compare the accuracy of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and digital radiography (DR) for detecting simulated vertical root fractures (VRFs) with different thicknesses in extracted human teeth.

via Detection of Vertical Root Fractures: CBCT vs Digital Radiography | CBCT For Everyone.

Traditional diagnosis is based on experience and judgement, which is a fancy way of saying…guesswork.

The link below is to a DrBicuspid article (registration required). Some experts contend we will not be seeing ultrasonic diagnostics in dentistry any time soon because dental anatomy is too complex and ultrasonic diagnostics are too expensive. On the other hand researchers are developing an ultrasonic device to measure perio pockets that they say could be available in about a year.

They are also using ultrasonic technology to detect cracks in teeth similar to how industrial devices detect cracks in airplanes.

“The probe is placed at the gingival margin and pressed against it slightly,” Hinders said. “Only the ultrasound beam goes into the tissues, so it is entirely noninvasive. It is a point-by-point measurement, but since it's painless, there is no reason to not walk the sulcus and take a series of point measurements.”

via DrBicuspid Imaging.

You need to check this out just because…well you need to see it.

Suni Webinar – Optimum Field of View for 3D Cone Beam.

This has nothing to do (directly) with dentistry. However it is interesting and it does show how scanners are being used in various ways which does relate to 3D imaging in dentistry. One step closer to the Tricorder.

Within seconds, 3D body scanners take a snapshot of the human form and produce a 3D replica, with complete measurement data. From injury-preventing sneakers to lightweight firefighting gear,…

via 5 Ways Body Scanners Could Make Fitting Rooms Obsolete – Popular Mechanics.

Imaging Sciences International has released a new version of their iCATVision imaging software available for iCAT and GENDEX  CBCT scanners.
The new 1.9 version adds new features like a new image enhancement feature named Quantum IQ and enhanced data transfer.

Quantum IQ provides an improved smoothness to overall image clarity creating a more-pleasing diagnostic view of soft tissue while retaining crisp definition around anatomical landmarks and hard tissues. Follow the link for all the details.

iCATVision 1.9 Released – Featuring Quantum IQ | CBCT For Everyone.