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In vivo near‐IR imaging of approximal dental decay at 1,310 nm
Author(s) -
Staninec Michal,
Lee Chulsung,
Darling Cynthia L.,
Fried Daniel
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.20913
Subject(s) - in vivo , enamel paint , dental decay , transillumination , radiography , materials science , medicine , optics , biomedical engineering , dentistry , radiology , pathology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , oral health , biology
Objective The high transparency of dental enamel in the near‐IR (NIR) light at 1,310‐nm can be exploited for imaging dental caries without the use of ionizing radiation (X‐rays). We present the results of the first in vivo imaging study in which NIR images were acquired of approximal contact surfaces. Methods NIR imaging hand‐pieces were developed and attached to a compact InGaAs focal plane array and subsequently used to acquire in vivo NIR images of 33 caries lesions on 18 test subjects. The carious lesions were discernible on bitewing radiographs, but were not visible upon clinical examination. Results NIR images were acquired in vivo from three directions and the majority of lesions examined were too small to require restoration, based on accepted bitewing radiograph criteria. All but one of the 33 lesions examined were successfully imaged from at least one direction. Conclusion This first in vivo study of imaging at the 1,310‐nm wavelength region shows that NIR imaging has great potential as a screening tool for the detection of approximal lesions without the use of ionizing radiation. Lasers Surg. Med. 42:292–298, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.