DENTAL TECHNOLOGY ABOVE AND BEYOND
Denterprise's Intraoral Sensor and Handheld X-ray Generator A Key Part of Bone Healing Studies on the International Space Station
ORMOND BEACH, Fla.- The great thing about dental science and technology is that it's always touching a wide range of medical research and applications. With the scheduled
Saturday February 18th launch of the Falcon-9 Space-X cargo trip to ISS, the excitement is in the air at Denterprise International, Inc. (DII), its related business units, Indiana University School of Medicine, CASIS, and NASA. The joint effort to understand bone healing in space is instrumental research that can be applied to further human exploration of our galaxy as well as at home on earth.
The bone healing study, headed by Dr. Melissa Kacena at Indiana University's School of Medicine, will focus on the healing of surgically fractured femurs in laboratory mice. The mice, also part of the cargo payload to ISS, will be observed on the space station with data being sent back to researchers, on earth, for analysis and further studies. “The Denterprise sensor is a highly cost effective and powerful tool for our research. We usually capture the image we need with minimal dosage from the mini x-ray generator and we get great image quality,” says Dr. Melissa Kacena of Indiana University School of Medicine. Low exposure, with high resolution diagnostic clarity, is a key differentiator of Denterprise's sensors and x-ray generators. “We look at the alignment of the bones, the position of the surgical hardware, and the location of the fractures while the test subjects heal”, continues Dr. Kacena, “so the clarity produced by the Denterprise radiography Intraoral sensor and the ease of use of the mini handheld x-ray generator really contribute to this study.”
With a solid approach to dental device manufacturing practices, government clearance processes, and maintaining relationships in the scientific and academics, Denterprise continues to play an important role in bringing emerging technology into the dental industry, as well as contributing to other parts of the medical science community. This isn't the first time Denterprise staff and leadership have been close to progress with NASA and the space program. Prior to his role at Denterprise, Jim Gibson Chief Operating Officer, was responsible for the environmental clearance of historic launch sights 39A and 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Pad 39A will be the launch site for Saturday's Space-X Falcon 9 cargo mission to ISS. Something of a historic mission, the launch pad has not been used since the last shuttle mission in 2011. “Florida businesses are typically close to NASA and other entities for local scientific and technology contributions in their research and progress in space related endeavors,” says Gibson.
“It's an honor to be a contributing factor to this study, whereas, it will support bone healing efforts on earth and towards manned space travel”.
Denterprise International, Inc., an FDA Registered Establishment, is an innovator and provider of best-in- class dental imaging technology and products. Since 1989, Denterprise has pioneered and stayed ahead of the curve, serving thousands of dental professionals offering the best value for their imaging needs.