New dental device a promising weapon in cancer arsenal

The device, called X-lite™, fits into any dentist’s suction tube and illuminates the mouth while the dentist is providing routine treatment.

Once treatment is completed, the X-lite can then be switched to scanning mode and the dentist can examine the entire oral cavity, highlighting areas that may require further attention. A built-in microprocessor allows for the attachment of an intra-oral camera to capture images, which can then be transferred to a computer and, if necessary, emailed to a specialist.

More than 400,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, with the disease killing one person every hour in the US alone. The death rate from this type of cancer is higher than that of many other cancers because it is often discovered only when the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.

Mony Paz says that one of the real dangers of this cancer is that in its early stages, it can go unnoticed. It can be painless and few, if any, physical changes may be obvious.

“Dentists are not equipped to identify oral cancer. All they can do is use a bright flashlight and look in the mouth with a mirror and try to find any abnormal development. Of course the problem is that if they see something, it’s generally too late.

“We are picking up abnormal changes before they develop into cancer. By exciting the tissue and assessing the differences in the autofluorescence emitted by tissue at longer wavelengths, we are able to discriminate between healthy and diseased tissue.”

Mony Paz, who has been in the dental profession for many years, first began work on the design of this device three years ago, with the assistance of funding from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

He approached Industrial Research’s Auckland subsidiary, DeviceWorks, in 2005 to provide solutions to complex development issues.

“IRL has been a godsend in this project. The DeviceWorks team carried out a feasibility study, then after their recommendations I designed a prototype. I then had some technical issues around the way the light should be conducted, that IRL were able to sort out for me. I appreciated that they were interested in my idea and that they supported me while providing the expertise needed to get the idea working properly.”

Whilst there has been some research and development on oral cancer detectors overseas, Mony Paz says that no-one has yet come up with a device as efficient and affordable as the X-lite.

He believes the production of this device will also have considerable benefit for New Zealand industry.

“My dream is that this device is manufactured in New Zealand. Most of the revenue will come from the disposable suction and detection tips – the market for these is huge, the potential is huge.

Although it has been developed for use in dentistry, the potential applications are unlimited. X-lite can be used whenever or wherever suction and illumination are required, including the operating theatre.

“We are eager to license the technology to manufacturers or have interested investors on board – already we have received a lot of interest from overseas companies keen to distribute it before we have even gone into production.”

The patent-pending prototype will be trialled in the next few months in Auckland, Melbourne and Los Angeles, with dentists and medical companies worldwide already showing considerable interest in the product.

Remuera dental surgeon, Allen Baker, says that his initial impressions of the X-lite device are very favourable.

“It is simple to use and I believe it will be an extremely useful development in the early detection of oral cancer. There’s currently nothing like it, to my knowledge, in the marketplace.”