Scientists from the two Russian universities told the Sputnik news agency that “the developed method will make it possible to detect this periodontal disease with high accuracy in a matter of seconds without the usual X-ray or sample analysis”.

Periodontitis, also known as gum disease, is an infectious and inflammatory disease that affects the soft tissues, ligaments, and bones that support the teeth.

According to the new diagnostic technique, the suspected tooth is illuminated with a laser light connected to a spectrograph, and then with the help of a laptop computer and a special computer program, the state of the tooth enamel is determined, automatically detecting whether the patient has periodontitis.

Elena Timchenko, a doctor of the chair of laser systems and biotechnologies at Korolyov University, said that the new method was successfully tested on patients in the city’s dental clinics.

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