Optical path-length spectroscopy of incipient caries lesions in relation to quantitative light-induced fluorescence and lesion characteristics

    Authors

    C. Mujat; M. H. van der Veen; J. L. Ruben; J. J. ten Bosch;A. Dogariu

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Appl. Optics

    Keywords

    HUMAN DENTAL ENAMEL; COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY; SCATTERING; PROPAGATION; SOUND; Optics

    Abstract

    A basic understanding of the light-scattering processes that take place inside the dental tissue (either sound or carious) is obtained both with measurements of the photon path-length distribution of light inside such media and with Monte Carlo simulations. Furthermore, the following is investigated: the correlations between different moments of the photon path-length distribution of light inside caries lesions, the fluorescence loss determined with quantitative light-induced fluorescence, and/or the demineralization and depth of caries lesions determined with transversal microradiography. It is concluded that (i) the light paths inside both carious and sound enamel are considerably influenced by the refractive-index contrast at the tooth surface; (ii) contrary to a previous hypothesis, the fluorescence loss is larger in lesions in which the average photon path length is longer; (iii) very good correlations are obtained between the optical characteristics and the physical parameters of lesions when the optical measurements are performed such that there is high refractive contrast at the tooth surface. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.

    Journal Title

    Applied Optics

    Volume

    42

    Issue/Number

    16

    Publication Date

    1-1-2003

    Document Type

    Article; Proceedings Paper

    Language

    English

    First Page

    2979

    Last Page

    2986

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000183256600015

    ISSN

    1559-128X

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