Introduction to Through-Transmission Alveolar Ultrasonography (TAU) in Dental Medicine

Abstract

Through-transmission alveolar ultrasonography (TAU) is a novel imaging modality in dental medicine. A brief introduction to through-transmission ultrasonography (TTU) is followed by a description of the first commercially available TAU device, the Cavitat CAV 4000 (Cavitat Medical Technologies, Inc., Alba, TX). Recent associations between systemic osteoporosis, oral osteoporosis, periodontal diseases, and cardiovascular diseases underline the importance of early detection and treatment of oral cancellous bone pathologies associated with low bone density (LBD), such as regional ischemic osteoporosis, chronic nonsuppurative osteomyelitis, bone marrow edema, and cavitational ischemic osteonecrosis (osteocavitation). While the impact of osteoporosis on maxillofacial bones is acknowledged, there is a lack of reliable prevalence rate, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that more attention should be paid to skeletal health, especially in persons with conditions known to be associated with secondary osteoporosis. TAU, a safe and effective imaging modality, can be a valuable tool in research as well as for the clinical assessment of alveolar cancellous bone pathologies associated with LBD and ischemia.