Thermography in the Measurement and Management of Combat Burn and Wound Healing.

Abstract : Electronic thermography is a method for depicting the infrared emission patterns of the body in real time by means of a specialized closed circuit television system sensitive to radiation around 10 microns. In the present study, thermography has been applied to the intraoral region. The infrared patterns in the mouth have been thermographically viewed directly and by means of front surface mirrors. Experiments have been performed to determine effects of anatomic curvature in the mouth and to discover the radiative emissivity of mucosa and teeth. Curvature has been found not to cause a significant problem in interpretation. Unlike that of skin (which is around 0.98), the emissivity of mucosa and teeth ranges from 0.73 to 0.94. Unless corrections for emissivity are preset in the thermography system, emissivity differences may make intraoral thermography interpretation inaccurate. At present, thermographic systems do not have such preset emissivity capability designed into them. (Author)