FLUORESCENCE FILTER SPECTRUM COMPENSATION

摘要

A device provides incident light on oral structures, switchably between two states. In the first state, incident light causes autofluorescence of byproducts of decay, and an optical filter between the oral structures and either the user's eyes or a visualizing apparatus yields visually distinguishable appearances for that autofluorescence depending on whether the tissue is healthy or unhealthy. In the second state, the incident light is of a color composition that yields a substantially “white” spectrum after passing through the filter.

主权项

1. An apparatus (10) for observing oral structures, comprising:
a first light source (24) that, when energized, emits light characterized by a first spectrum adapted to induce autofluorescence by tissue; a first filter (22) in the path between the tissue and a user's eye, wherein, when passed through the first filter (22), light emitted by healthy tissue is visually distinguishable from light emitted by unhealthy tissue; and a second light source (28) that, when energized, emits light characterized by a second spectrum (66), where light characterized by the second spectrum (66), when passed through the first filter (22), has a substantially white spectrum.