Course:

One of the more challenging diagnostic efforts in dentistry is the assessment of the structural integrity of teeth and dental implants. Cracked teeth, deteriorating/fracturing restorations, loss of cement seal or loss of osseointegration are often hard to diagnose until the results are advanced or catastrophic. Quantitative Percussion Diagnostics (QPD) has been shown in over 28 peer reviewed studies in engineering and dental journals to be an accurate and reliable test for determining the structural wellness of teeth or implants. QPD is a mechanical test similar to evaluation methods used in engineering for assessing structural stability of objects, in contrast to visually based dental diagnostics such as radiographs and visual examination. The mechanism that creates QPD data has been illustrated by Finite Element Analysis of novel models of uncracked and cracked teeth. QPD, FEA modeling plus the addition of AI and Machine Learning are currently creating a future for dentistry of predictive diagnostics, where structural problems can be diagnosed early and rated as to type or severity. Preventive or therapeutic steps can then be instituted earlier in the damage cycle prior to the occurrence of advanced or catastrophic results, providing dentists with a new aid to diagnosis.

This lecture on QPD will highlight clinical examples of QPD being used in a surgical and restorative practice as an important part of the diagnostic tool armamentaria clinicians use for comprehensive diagnosis, clinical treatment, emergency visits for pain of unknown origin, and long-term structural health monitoring as a part of a dental hygiene program.