A Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of Dentin and Enamel Structures Modified by Lactic Acid

Abstract

Confocal Raman microspectrometry allows a thorough molecular analysis of mineralised dental tissues. The output information is provided in the form of curves representing the intensity of the signal according to the frequency, and its mathematical exploitation permits all sorts of comparative and quantitative analyses. By this process, we investigated the in vitro action of lactic acid on enamel and dentin from human permanent teeth. Modifications due to the acidic attack essentially concern phosphate grouping PO₄^3–, which represents the mineral phase in enamel and dentin (hydroxyapatite): on Raman spectra, changes in intensity of the PO₄^3– band are linked to the type of dentin, to its anatomical location, and to the age of the subject. The variability of the dentinal chemical structure was confirmed by a quantitative statistical analysis, revealing a significant spectral difference between coronal and root dentin.

Analysis of the molecular structure of human enamel with fluorosis using micro-Raman spectroscopy

“…Micro-Raman spectrometry allows a thorough molecular analysis of mineralized dental tissues. The information provided is in the form of curves representing the intensity of the signal according to the frequency, and mathematical analyses allow for any type of comparative and quantitative analysis (26). To our knowledge, this is the first study that has characterized and compared the molecular structure of healthy and fluorotic enamel by micro-Raman spectroscopy.…”

Phosphate and amide III mapping in sialoliths with Raman microspectroscopy

“…Further, the presence of a molecule to which a spectrum is assigned can be assayed by calculating its peak area in the spectrum. 7,8 Considering these facts, it is useful to adopt the peak of the phosphate vibrational mode of 1 at 960 cm 1 to examine the phosphate distribution in sialoliths. In fact, we obtained sharp peaks of phosphate at 960 cm 1 (Fig.…”

Surface pre-conditioning with bioactive glass air-abrasion can enhance enamel white spot lesion remineralization

“…Quantitative information about the mineral concentration within a substrate can be obtained using Raman microspectroscopy, dependent upon the peak intensity being proportional to the number of molecules within the volume of the scanned area [39,40]. The phosphate peak at 959 cm −1 represented the hydroxyapatite (HA) of enamel, and its intensity relates to the amount of HA mineral within the scanned area [41,42].…”