IADR Abstract Archives
Detection of Early Dental Caries by spectrally Resolved Raman Spectroscopy
Objectives: Approximately 90% of tooth loss is due to dental caries and periodontal disease. For that reason, early treatment of dental caries is important in order to maintain quality of life (QOL). Thus far, the clinical diagnosis of dental caries has been based on the Dentist's subjective assessment, but such a method lacks objectivity. Hence, the development of highly sensitive quantitative methods for the diagnosis of dental caries is needed. In our spectrally resolved Raman spectroscopic analyses, we have previously found that changes occurred in the Raman spectrum of dental enamel in areas surrounding dental caries. In this study, we developed new diagnostic imaging for early dental caries using Raman spectroscopy.
Methods: A series of 20 molar teeth were obtained from donors (we obtained prior written informed consent from all patients) at the Department of Dental Medicine of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM). All experimental procedures and clinical applications introduced here were approved by the Medicine Research Ethics Committee of KPUM (ERB-C-136-3). We performed different kinds of techniques for the analysis of dental caries, including conventional Dental X-ray examination, micro-CT, and Raman spectroscopy ex vivo.
Results: Raman spectroscopy is found to surpass conventional X-ray examination in early dental caries detection sensitivity and micro-CT scan in data collection rapidity. The ν1 stretching Raman band of hydroxyapatite showed lowered intensity, shifted band position toward lower wavenumbers, and inhomogeneous broadening following incipient demineralization in the decayed region or at the early dental caries. Moreover, a confocal configuration enabled detecting buried caries at the dentine enamel interface where the conventional X-ray method failed. As an example, we show Raman imaging to detect caries that developed from a crack of 10 µm in size.
Conclusions: Raman spectroscopy allows for the detection and visualization of early dental caries, and may potentially contribute to the appropriate treatment of dental caries. These results indicate that Raman imaging is a new tool for advanced diagnostics in dentistry.
Methods: A series of 20 molar teeth were obtained from donors (we obtained prior written informed consent from all patients) at the Department of Dental Medicine of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM). All experimental procedures and clinical applications introduced here were approved by the Medicine Research Ethics Committee of KPUM (ERB-C-136-3). We performed different kinds of techniques for the analysis of dental caries, including conventional Dental X-ray examination, micro-CT, and Raman spectroscopy ex vivo.
Results: Raman spectroscopy is found to surpass conventional X-ray examination in early dental caries detection sensitivity and micro-CT scan in data collection rapidity. The ν1 stretching Raman band of hydroxyapatite showed lowered intensity, shifted band position toward lower wavenumbers, and inhomogeneous broadening following incipient demineralization in the decayed region or at the early dental caries. Moreover, a confocal configuration enabled detecting buried caries at the dentine enamel interface where the conventional X-ray method failed. As an example, we show Raman imaging to detect caries that developed from a crack of 10 µm in size.
Conclusions: Raman spectroscopy allows for the detection and visualization of early dental caries, and may potentially contribute to the appropriate treatment of dental caries. These results indicate that Raman imaging is a new tool for advanced diagnostics in dentistry.