Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 12 195
Apply for PA 12 195
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Imaging Diagnostics of Dental Diseases and Conditions (Caries, Periodontal Disease, Cracked Teeth, and Pulp Vitality) SBIR R43/R44" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 4, 2012 and posted on Jun 4, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 5, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Imaging Diagnostics of Dental Diseases and Conditions (Caries, Periodontal Disease, Cracked Teeth, and Pulp Vitality) SBIR R43/R44 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PA-12-195) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business program designed to move better dental imaging diagnostics out of the lab and into real clinical use. The core goal was to speed the advanced development and implementation of imaging-based diagnostic devices that are reliable and reproducible, while also being highly specific and highly sensitive for four major dental needs: detecting dental caries, diagnosing periodontal disease, identifying cracked teeth, and assessing pulp vitality. In practical terms, NIH was looking for tools that can find disease earlier, distinguish true disease from look-alikes, and produce consistent results across operators and settings.
A central requirement was that proposed technologies must clearly outperform standard diagnostic approaches used in routine dentistry. The announcement specifically pointed to the common visual, tactile, and radiographic methods used for caries detection as the baseline comparison. Applicants were expected to show that their device or system could achieve superior specificity (fewer false positives) and sensitivity (fewer false negatives) relative to today’s typical chairside exam and imaging workflow. At the same time, NIH emphasized patient safety: the new diagnostics should not raise health risks, which implicitly includes avoiding unnecessary exposure (for example, added radiation burden) and ensuring that any new energy source or contrast approach is safe for repeated clinical use.
The opportunity encouraged a wide range of imaging and sensing approaches, reflecting the reality that different dental conditions present different diagnostic challenges. Example technologies explicitly mentioned included optical coherence tomography (OCT), either alone or combined with Raman spectroscopy, which can potentially provide high-resolution structural information and chemical signatures. MRI image analysis was included as another pathway, suggesting interest not just in hardware but also in advanced computational methods to extract clinically meaningful findings. Other modalities highlighted were electrical conductivity measurement (ECM), quantitative laser fluorescence (QLF), and alternating current impedance spectroscopy, all of which can help characterize tissue changes associated with demineralization, decay progression, or vitality-related differences. The notice also called out multiphoton imaging, infrared thermography, infrared fluorescence, ultrasound, and terahertz imaging, indicating an openness to both optical and non-optical methods, as well as approaches that might detect subtle thermal, structural, or compositional changes not obvious on standard radiographs. Importantly, NIH also encouraged the development of entirely novel modalities, so the list was illustrative rather than limiting.
From an applicant standpoint, this was an SBIR grant opportunity, meaning eligibility was limited to small businesses, and the intent was commercialization-oriented research and development with a credible path to a product used in clinical dentistry. The mechanism was SBIR R43/R44, which corresponds to the typical phased SBIR structure: Phase I (R43) to establish feasibility and Phase II (R44) to continue development toward a more complete, clinically ready prototype and validation. While the public summary does not list budgets or detailed review criteria, the focus on clinical implementation implies that competitive projects would need more than a proof-of-concept; they would be expected to demonstrate robust performance, repeatability, and a realistic plan for clinical testing and eventual adoption.
Administratively, this was a discretionary grant under the NIH umbrella within the Health activity category, and it was associated with CFDA 93.121 (Oral Diseases and Disorders Research). It did not require cost sharing or matching funds. The opportunity was posted and created on June 4, 2012, with an original and final closing date of April 5, 2015, and it was archived on May 6, 2015. The sponsoring agency listed was NIH, and the full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants site under PA-12-195. For access and technical issues, the contact listed was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
Overall, the grant call was aimed at pushing dental diagnostics toward higher accuracy and earlier detection using advanced imaging and sensing, while keeping patient safety front and center. The ideal outcome NIH was seeking was a new generation of diagnostic devices that can be used in real dental settings to better detect decay, periodontal breakdown, tooth cracks, and pulp status than the tools clinicians rely on today, ultimately improving decision-making and patient outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Imaging Diagnostics of Dental Diseases and Conditions" SBIR opportunity (PA-12-195)?
It was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding opportunity (R43/R44) focused on moving improved dental imaging diagnostics from the lab into real clinical use. The program aimed to accelerate advanced development and implementation of imaging-based diagnostic devices intended for routine dentistry settings.
Which dental problems was this grant focused on?
The opportunity targeted imaging diagnostics for four major dental needs:
- Detecting dental caries (tooth decay)
- Diagnosing periodontal disease
- Identifying cracked teeth
- Assessing pulp vitality
What was the main goal NIH was trying to achieve with this funding?
The central goal was to speed the development and clinical implementation of diagnostic devices that are reliable and reproducible, and that deliver high specificity and high sensitivity for the targeted conditions. In practical terms, NIH wanted tools that can detect disease earlier, separate true disease from look-alike findings, and provide consistent results across operators and practice settings.
What kind of performance was NIH looking for in proposed diagnostic technologies?
NIH emphasized that proposed technologies needed to be both highly specific (fewer false positives) and highly sensitive (fewer false negatives), while also producing consistent and reproducible results. Projects were expected to demonstrate robust performance beyond a basic proof-of-concept, aligned with a path toward real clinical use.
Did applicants have to compare their technology to existing standard dental diagnostics?
Yes. A central requirement was that the proposed technology must clearly outperform standard diagnostic approaches used in routine dentistry. For caries detection, the announcement specifically cited common visual, tactile, and radiographic methods as the baseline comparison.
What does "outperform standard diagnostic approaches" mean in this context?
Based on the description, it means the technology should demonstrate better sensitivity and specificity than typical chairside examination and imaging workflows used today. The intent was to reduce both missed disease (false negatives) and unnecessary treatment triggers (false positives), while remaining clinically consistent across different users and environments.
Was patient safety considered in the grant requirements?
Yes. NIH emphasized patient safety and indicated that new diagnostics should not increase health risks. This includes avoiding unnecessary exposure (for example, added radiation burden) and ensuring any new energy sources or contrast approaches are safe for repeated clinical use.
What types of imaging or sensing technologies were encouraged?
The opportunity encouraged a wide range of imaging and sensing approaches, reflecting different diagnostic challenges across dental conditions. Examples explicitly mentioned included:
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT), alone or combined with Raman spectroscopy
- MRI image analysis (including computational methods to extract clinical findings)
- Electrical conductivity measurement (ECM)
- Quantitative laser fluorescence (QLF)
- Alternating current impedance spectroscopy
- Multiphoton imaging
- Infrared thermography
- Infrared fluorescence
- Ultrasound
- Terahertz imaging
Were applicants limited to the technologies listed in the announcement?
No. The list was presented as illustrative rather than limiting. NIH explicitly encouraged the development of entirely novel modalities as well.
Was this opportunity only about building new hardware devices?
Not necessarily. The mention of MRI image analysis suggests interest in advanced computational methods in addition to imaging hardware, as long as the resulting diagnostic approach is clinically meaningful and supports real-world implementation.
Who was eligible to apply for this grant opportunity?
It was an SBIR opportunity, so eligibility was limited to small businesses. The intent was commercialization-oriented research and development with a credible path to a product used in clinical dentistry.
What do the SBIR mechanisms R43 and R44 represent?
R43/R44 corresponds to the typical phased SBIR structure:
- Phase I (R43): establishes feasibility
- Phase II (R44): continues development toward a more complete, clinically ready prototype and validation
What kind of project maturity was implied as competitive for this call?
While budgets and full review criteria were not included in the provided summary, the emphasis on clinical implementation implies competitive projects would need more than a basic proof-of-concept. They would be expected to demonstrate robust performance, repeatability, and a realistic plan for clinical testing and eventual adoption in dental settings.
Did this opportunity require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. It did not require cost sharing or matching funds.
Which agency sponsored this funding opportunity?
The sponsoring agency listed was the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number was PA-12-195.
What was the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
It was associated with CFDA 93.121 (Oral Diseases and Disorders Research).
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted and created on June 4, 2012. The original and final closing date was April 5, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity is closed. It had a final closing date of April 5, 2015, and it was archived on May 6, 2015.
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants site under PA-12-195.
Who was the contact for access or technical issues?
The contact listed for access and technical issues was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
What was the intended real-world outcome of this NIH call?
The intended outcome was a new generation of imaging and sensing-based dental diagnostic devices suitable for real dental settings, improving accuracy and earlier detection for caries, periodontal disease, cracked teeth, and pulp status, ultimately improving clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.
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