Photoacoustic imaging of teeth for dentine imaging and enamel characterization

Abstract

Early detection of dental caries, cracks and lesions is needed to prevent complicated root canal treatment and tooth extraction procedures. Resolution of clinically used x-ray imaging is low, hence optical imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography, fluorescence imaging, and Raman imaging are widely experimented for imaging dental structures. Photoacoustic effect is used in photon induced photoacoustic streaming technique to debride the root canal. In this study, the extracted teeth were imaged using photoacoustic tomography system at 1064 nm. The degradation of enamel and dentine is an indicator of onset of dental caries. Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) was used to study the tooth enamel. Images were acquired using acoustic resolution PAM system. This was done to identify microscopic cracks and dental lesion at different anatomical sites (crown and cementum). The PAM tooth profile is an indicator of calcium distribution which is essential for demineralization studies.

Photoacoustic Imaging for Periodontal Disease Examination

“…The groups of C, T1, T2, and T3 have average PA intensity values of -73.07 dB, -71.69 dB, -70.34 dB, and -68.71 dB, respectively. The inflammation of periodontal tissue is causing alteration of mineral distribution, which revealed a greater PA signal among the treatment groups than the control group in the supporting tissue of the teeth [7].…”

“…This was may be caused by different mineral distributions in the tissue that caused by inflammation [6]. The laser energy was more easily absorbed by inflamed tissue in treatment groups, resulting in a greater average PA intensity [7].…”

“…In last two decades, various non-invasive PAI systems have been developed in the field of biomedical research [6,7,8,9,10]. Photoacoustic imaging is a future biomedical imaging modality that combine the merits of optical resolution with the depth of acoustic penetration.…”

Photoacoustic Imaging System based on Diode Laser and Condenser Microphone for Characterization of Dental Anatomy

“…Previous studies have developed the application of photoacoustic technology to investigate oral tissues, including human teeth [8], dental restorations, caries [9], teeth ablation [10], dental materials, and tissue in dentistry [11]. However, no studies have yet been published on the feasibility of photoacoustic imaging for investigating dental anatomical structure characterization.…”

“…The imaging technique is commonly needed for tooth extraction procedures and preventing complications in root canal treatment [8]. The main structures of human teeth, generally known as dental anatomy, are enamel, dentin, and pulp.…”