INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

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DENTAL SCHOOL RECEIVES $1.6 MILLION GRANT TO STUDY EARLY STAGES OF DENTAL DECAY AND SKIN CANCER

INDIANAPOLIS - A recent grant awarded to the IU School of Dentistry at IUPUI will help researchers learn how to detect and treat tooth decay before it becomes a cavity, and identify skin cancer in its early stages.

IUSD received the $1.6 million grant from the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund established by the State of Indiana to develop technology and strengthen the economy.

Researchers at IUSD hope to perfect QLF or Quantitative Light Fluorescence, a noninvasive technology that uses changes in the optical properties of teeth to spot early tooth decay (caries) before the dentist can see it with a visual examination or on a radiograph.

"QLF technology is potentially beneficial to both dentists and their patients in several ways," said Mostafa Analoui, co-primary investigator for the project and director of the Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Research Facility at IUSD. "After the dentist detects the cavity with current methods, the dentist must often cut into the tooth to remove the decay and restore the tooth with a filling. If QLF technology could be used to identify decay at its earliest stages, however, dentists could perform more conservative repairs or preventive measures to the tooth that may keep tooth structure intact. These procedures are simple to undergo and they are likely to cost less than more extensive restorative measures like fillings or crowns."

The grant will also allow researchers to study these preventive treatments which include the use of laser treatments, fluoride varnishes, professional fluoride applications, and sealants in combination with the patient practicing good oral hygiene and diet modification.

"This is cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology that is not available anyplace else in the Western Hemisphere," said George Stookey, primary investigator and IUSD distinguished professor and associate dean for research. "The IU School of Dentistry is the world's leader in the early detection of caries."

Researchers will also study the use of a special type of camera that may be able to identify early malignant melanoma. The camera measures the skin's optical properties as well as how light is reflected and scattered on the skin. Since cancerous cells respond differently than healthy cells, researchers are able to detect malignancies.

Several partners are collaborating on the project with IUSD including Purdue University, the IU School of Medicine, and the IU School of Optometry.

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