Quantitative Percussion Diagnostics
One of the special stories at Sheets, Paquette and Wu Dental Practice is the development of a breakthrough technology called Quantitative Percussion Diagnostics (QPD). The beginning of the story was a scientific curiosity regarding a patient’s treatment that led Dr. Sheets to the UCI School of Engineering to meet the Dean. That meeting resulted in Dr. Sheets being introduced to one of the young professors, James Earthman, PhD, a professor in Material Science and Bioengineering. The result was a thirty-year research collaboration between Sheets/Earthman that has resulted in the development of Quantitative Percussion Diagnostics, a breakthrough technology for measuring the structural integrity of dental implants and teeth.
Over 30 international publications have been published in premier dental, engineering, and computer science journals, a company, Perimetrics, Inc. was founded to hold and grow the technology, and over 78 global patents have been granted. Three FDA clearances have been received by the technology: in 2008, FDA clearance for the Periometer research version to measure mobility in teeth and implants; in 2023, FDA clearance for the clinical version, InnerView, to measure Overall Mobility in teeth and implants; in 2025, FDA clearance for InnerView to measure Overall Mobility and Internal Mobility in teeth and implants. Overall Mobility is affected by bone quality, bone quantity of teeth and implants, and the osseointegration quality of dental implants. Internal Mobility is affected by cracks in teeth, loose crowns, deteriorating restorations, and localized bone voids around sites creating localized mobility. The important fact is that radiographs cannot “see” these problems until they are severe. However, QPD can identify these problems early when preventive or pro-active treatment can often eliminate or minimize the treatments, needed saving pain, expense and time for the patient.
As a patient of Sheets, Paquette & Wu Dental Practice, this technology is fully incorporated into your oral care. This simple “less that two minute test for the entire mouth” is taken as a part of your records for an examination, pre and post any restorative care, and as a part of your dental hygiene appointment to develop a Structural Trendline Report for every tooth and implant in your mouth.
Your dental team can easily spot any sign of developing problems even before you feel any symptoms and together decide what to do to protect you. Better yet, there is no pain, no radiation and it is very precise. Currently, our research teams are taking the very large database we have created and starting to use AI and ML to better predict what the findings mean in even more detail. What an exciting aspect of our office and you are a part of it!