ATLANTA, United States—Carestream Dental is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the invention of RadioVisioGraphy (RVG), the fundamental technology behind digital intraoral sensors, which is still used in most sensors today.
The year was 1982. “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was a box office hit and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was a worldwide sensation. That same year, Dr. Francis Mouyen, a visionary French dentist with a passion for physics, was hard at work inventing a digital X-ray system that could be practical and small enough for dental applications and deliver instant results, a significant industry challenge at the time. Which made it an even greater achievement when Dr. Mouyen patented a way to convert X-ray energy into light and direct it towards a small light-sensitive sensor.
The ability to capture X-rays instantly on a monitor, without film processing, was a breakthrough. Dr. Mouyen went on to partner with engineers at Trophy Radiologie (now owned by Carestream Dental) to commercialize the sensor. Since the 1980s, the sensor’s design has gone through several iterations: From initially requiring a large tabletop electronic unit with an embedded display screen to the small portable sensor it is today.
“We’ve been using RVG sensors from Carestream Dental since 1999,” Dr. Miguel Stanley of the prestigious White Clinic, said. “This device allows for less radiation but more importantly we get to see our X-rays instantly on the computer screen; and those files will last forever, so they’re not lost over time. It’s an awesome technology and the first step into digital dentistry.”
Beyond the benefit of being able to view X-rays on a screen instantly, advanced sensor technology has been able to reduce dose to patients. Redesigns to the sensor head have made it smaller and more comfortable for patients, too. As the technology evolved, it became the first digital intraoral system to equal or exceed dental film resolution (20 lp/mm true resolution) and it was even adapted for extraoral imaging systems, proving its value even more.
Today, the Carestream Dental RVG sensor is a thin, lightweight—yet durable—device that’s used for everything from a standard check-up to confirming a crown has been seated correctly. RVG sensors are often the very first and the very last step in treatment and care. Because they’re small and portable, the sensors are also often used on mission trips; in mobile clinics visiting underserved communities; and even as part of the Global Mercy’s, the world’s largest NGO hospital ship, mission in Africa.
“Carestream Dental’s isn’t just an innovator, it’s the inventor of industry-changing technology,” David Roudergues, product line manager for intraoral imaging, Carestream Dental said. “That engineering spirit that started 40 years ago—seeing a need in the industry and inventing a dental-specific solution where none existed—continues to this day. We are constantly driving innovation forward, from the small RVG 6200 sensor to our biggest extraoral imaging system, the CS 9600, to new technologies currently in production.”
In celebration of the 40th anniversary, Carestream Dental is offering special promotions and limited-edition memorabilia to commemorate this distinctive milestone. To learn more about the history of the RVG sensor and see all the ways Carestream Dental is celebrating, visit here.
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About Carestream Dental
Carestream Dental is committed to transforming dentistry, simplifying technology and changing lives. In this pursuit, we focus on providing cloud solutions and technology for practice and clinical management for dental practices, groups, DSOs and partners. For more information, please visit carestreamdental.com.
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