Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging

Abstract Early stage dental caries can be remineralized without the need for “drill-and-fill” treatments that are more invasive and less permanent. However, early stage caries lesions typically present as a white spot on a white background, resulting in many lesions only being identified after they...

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Main Authors: Alistair D. Bounds, John M. Girkin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2021-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81872-7
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author Alistair D. Bounds
John M. Girkin
author_facet Alistair D. Bounds
John M. Girkin
author_sort Alistair D. Bounds
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Early stage dental caries can be remineralized without the need for “drill-and-fill” treatments that are more invasive and less permanent. However, early stage caries lesions typically present as a white spot on a white background, resulting in many lesions only being identified after they have developed beyond the point of remineralization as cavities. We present a spatial frequency domain imaging technique to characterize the optical properties of dental tissue. This technique enables different dental tissue types (healthy enamel, healthy dentin and damaged or demineralized enamel) to be easily distinguished from one another and allows quantification of the reduced scattering coefficients of dental tissue. The use of near-infrared light at 850 nm allows high depth penetration into the tissue and suppression of absorption effects, ensuring only changes in the reduced scattering coefficient that result directly from demineralization of enamel are observed and simplifying the analysis method. This technique provides a tool to both guide the attention of dentists to areas of interest and potential demineralization, and to provide longitudinal quantified assessments to monitor caries lesion behaviour over time.
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spelling doaj.art-42c0743029b5436d9e3e1961e380d7492022-12-21T20:35:56ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-01-011111910.1038/s41598-021-81872-7Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imagingAlistair D. Bounds0John M. Girkin1Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, Department of Physics, Durham UniversityCentre for Advanced Instrumentation, Department of Physics, Durham UniversityAbstract Early stage dental caries can be remineralized without the need for “drill-and-fill” treatments that are more invasive and less permanent. However, early stage caries lesions typically present as a white spot on a white background, resulting in many lesions only being identified after they have developed beyond the point of remineralization as cavities. We present a spatial frequency domain imaging technique to characterize the optical properties of dental tissue. This technique enables different dental tissue types (healthy enamel, healthy dentin and damaged or demineralized enamel) to be easily distinguished from one another and allows quantification of the reduced scattering coefficients of dental tissue. The use of near-infrared light at 850 nm allows high depth penetration into the tissue and suppression of absorption effects, ensuring only changes in the reduced scattering coefficient that result directly from demineralization of enamel are observed and simplifying the analysis method. This technique provides a tool to both guide the attention of dentists to areas of interest and potential demineralization, and to provide longitudinal quantified assessments to monitor caries lesion behaviour over time.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81872-7
spellingShingle Alistair D. Bounds
John M. Girkin
Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
Scientific Reports
title Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
title_full Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
title_fullStr Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
title_full_unstemmed Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
title_short Early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
title_sort early stage dental caries detection using near infrared spatial frequency domain imaging
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81872-7
work_keys_str_mv AT alistairdbounds earlystagedentalcariesdetectionusingnearinfraredspatialfrequencydomainimaging
AT johnmgirkin earlystagedentalcariesdetectionusingnearinfraredspatialfrequencydomainimaging