Preliminary Clinical Study of Ultrasound to Measure Enamel Thickness — UMET  

Tooth Erosion Clinical Trial

Official title: Preliminary Clinical Study of Ultrasound to Measure Enamel Thickness

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators have now established a technique to measure enamel thickness which has been shown to work well in-vitro. The teeth tested so far, obtained from the Dental School Tissue Bank, have been molars or pre-molars. In these cases, the measurement is made more difficult by the curvature of the tooth surface and it seems likely that flatter larger, incisors would give more satisfactory results. The investigators therefore wish to establish in-vivo whether this hypothesis is correct.

Clinical Trial Description

The aim is translate our research into a clinical hand-held dental tool that could be used to measure enamel thickness in less curvaceous anterior incisor (front) teeth, and ultimately monitor erosive tooth surface loss (TSL), which mainly occurs on anterior (front) teeth and the occlusal (top) surface of posterior (back) teeth. In this study, quantifying enamel thickness with ultrasound will provide data which will be assessed for reproducibility and to determine whether or not ultrasound is a potentially viable tool to measure and monitor acid erosion of teeth. This would allow dentists to reinforce advice to patients to reduce acidic consumption, and will motivate them to keep whatever is remaining of their 'precious' enamel tissue, which if lost, will necessitate fillings to be made. These fillings will require future repairs and possible remakes, as they have median survival rates of five years. ;

Study Design

Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Diagnostic

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Tooth Erosion

• NCT number: NCT01622920
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Leeds
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: November 2012
• Completion date: December 2012