Thermal Pattern Analysis for Detecting Subclinical Inflammation

Συγγραφείς

  • Hussein Haleem Jasim *Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Diagnosis, College of Dentistry, University of Wasit,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1179

Λέξεις-κλειδιά:

X-ray, Panoramic radiograph, Periapical lesion, Radiology

Περίληψη

Objective: To detect the subclinical and suspected inflammatory tissue changes on the jaws by combining infrared thermography with X-ray radiography. Materials and Methods: The study included 150 patients who were referred for panoramic X-rays. Patients selected included 72 males and 78 females, with ages ranging from 18 to 50 years. Infrared thermography (IRT) was applied in the study for screening suspected jaw inflammation. IRT findings were compared with panoramic radiography (a reference standard). After the diagnosis of periapical diseases, each participant in the study was examined thermographically by using an infra-red camera (Teledyne FLIR, Model T560), extra-oral on the face, directed at the maxilla and mandible regions. Thermograms were captured in frontal view, right view, and left view. All thermograms and panoramic radiographs (OPG) were processed and visually enhanced using Fiji ImageJ software for better thermographic and radiographic analysis. The thermographic findings were then compared with the radiographic findings (OPG x-rays). Results: The statistical analysis of infrared thermography findings showed that 20% of the cases were positive (inflammatory or suspicious), and 80% of cases were negative (normal pattern). The thermal pattern of infrared thermography showed IRT-positive cases as follows: pulpitis with apical periodontitis 13 (8.7%), acute periapical abscess 9 (6.0%), chronic periapical abscess 5 (3.3%), and suspected 3 (2%). The last three suspected cases were unspecified and considered as IRT-positive cases (inflammatory or suspicious). When IRT findings were compared with OPG findings, they showed a sensitivity of 92.6%, a specificity of 95.9%, and an accuracy of 95.3%. Analysis also showed good agreement between IRT and OPG findings (Cohen’s κ = 0.848), and disagreement was limited (FP = 5 vs FN = 2). For two modalities, analysis showed no significant difference in paired positive and negative classifications (exact McNemar test, p = 0.453). Conclusion: Thermal pattern analysis in the orofacial region can be helpful for the early detection of inflammatory or suspected diseases as a supplement to radiography for confirming positive or suspicious findings.

Λήψεις

Δημοσιευμένα

2026-04-07

Τεύχος

Τόμ. 14 Αρ. 1 (2026)

Ενότητα

Adults & the Elderly

Άδεια

Πνευματική ιδιοκτησία (c) 2026 Hussein Haleem Jasim

Creative Commons License

Αυτή η εργασία είναι αδειοδοτημένη υπό το CC Αναφορά Δημιουργού 4.0.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.