Digital dentistry

Latest in digital diagnostic equipment donated to University of Chicago Hospitals dental clinic

February 10, 1998

Cygnus Imaging, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has donated one of the first CygnusRay2 dental imaging systems, the latest in digital imaging technology, to the University of Chicago Hospitals' dental clinic.

The top-of-the-line equipment, valued at $20,000, will provide improved diagnostic capabilities--and much faster results--to the clinic's patients, nearly half of whom are medically indigent.

The new imaging system will be unveiled for the dental community on February 19, 2005 at the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting.

"We are justifiably proud of the CR2 system, which produces higher resolution and more clarity than any other digital system," said Cygnus president Egidi Cianiosi, "but we are just as proud to be able to help these clinicians continue to provide dental services to the poor and underserved on Chicago's South Side."

"Digital imaging is the wave of the future," said Lou Graham, DDS, assistant professor of surgery and section chief of dentistry at the University of Chicago.

"Shifting imaging from X-ray films to a digitally collected radiographic image speeds up the process, allows us to use the computer to manipulate the information we gather, eliminates the storage and handling of hazardous chemicals and film, simplifies filing and retrieval of images and reduces the patient's radiation exposure by as much as 90 percent," added Graham.

"We are thrilled," he added, "by Cygnus' generous donation."

The dental clinic, located within the University of Chicago Hospitals, provides more than $400,000 worth of unreimbursed dental services for the poor annually. All procedures are performed by dental faculty or graduate dental residents.

Most of patients cared for by this clinic suffer from serious medical as well as dental problems. They often need complex dental care to eliminate infections or other complications in preparation for radiation therapy for cancer or for the immune suppression that comes with organ transplants.

Cygnus has also agreed to provide the clinic with set-up, training and ongoing technical support.