Fast high-resolution dental MRI using a disposable wireless intraoral coil: From concept to reality

Public summary

* A wireless braces-shaped intraoral coil enables signal-to-noise ratio improvement up to 5.83-fold.

* Dental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 68 s with submillimeter resolution has been achieved.

* The proposed dental MRI framework provided enhanced visualization of both hard and soft tissue structures.

Abstract

Fast high-resolution dental MRI remains challenging due to the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in small-volume tissues and the reliance on unwieldy, clinically impractical signal detection devices. In this study, we present a fast high-resolution dental MRI framework that achieved superior soft tissue visualization in a resolution of 0.30 × 0.30 × 1.5 mm3 within 68 s. Central to this framework was a novel wireless braced intraoral coil (WBIC), which demonstrated up to 5.83-fold improvements in SNR in combination with a 48-channel head coil compared with the only head coil. In the in vivo studies, deep learning-assisted reconstruction methods integrated with the WBIC significantly accelerated the imaging process. Imaging with 0.30 × 0.30 × 1.5 mm3 resolution enabled clear visualization of periodontal membranes with anatomical thicknesses ranging from 0.15 to 0.38 mm, as well as gingival microstructures down to 200 μm. Compared with cone-beam computed tomography and the conventional dental MRI, the fast high-resolution dental MRI framework provided significantly enhanced visualization of both hard and soft tissue structures, particularly for gingival and other soft tissue regions. It also enabled comprehensive full-arch imaging of both single- and multi-rooted teeth in the maxilla and mandible, promising a step toward clinically practical, radiation-free dental MRI.