title: Remineralization of enamel caries can decrease optical reflectivity.
abstract: The remineralization of enamel caries can lead to distinct optical changes within a lesion. We hypothesized that the restoration of mineral volume would result in a measurable decrease in the depth-resolved reflectivity of polarized light from the lesion. To test this hypothesis, we measured optical changes in artificial caries undergoing remineralization as a function of depth, using Polarization-sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT). Lesions were imaged non-destructively before and after exposure to a remineralization regimen. After imaging, microradiographs of histological thin sections indicated that the significant reflectivity reduction measured by PS-OCT accurately represented the increase in mineral content within a larger repaired surface zone. Mineral volume changes arising from remineralization can be measured on the basis of the optical reflectivity of the lesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, Box 0758, 707 Parnassus Ave., University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0758, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fried
mesh_terms: D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003743:Dental Enamel; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D008852:Microradiography; D012969:Sodium Fluoride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014089:Tooth Remineralization
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D012969:Sodium Fluoride