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. 2008 Apr;11(2):63-70.
doi: 10.4103/0972-0707.44053.

Fiber optic backscatter spectroscopic sensor to monitor enamel demineralization and remineralization in vitro

Anil Kishen  1 , Annie Shrestha, Adeela Rafique
Affiliations

Fiber optic backscatter spectroscopic sensor to monitor enamel demineralization and remineralization in vitro

Anil Kishen et al. J Conserv Dent. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

In this study, a Fiber Optic Backscatter Spectroscopic Sensor (FOBSS) is used to monitor demineralization and remineralization induced changes in the enamel. A bifurcated fiber optic backscatter probe connected to a visible light source and a high resolution spectrophotometer was used to acquire the backscatter light spectrum from the tooth surface. The experiments were conducted in two parts. In Part 1, experiments were carried out using fiber optic backscatter spectroscopy on (1) sound enamel and dentine sections and (2) sound tooth specimens subjected to demineralization and remineralization. In Part 2, polarization microscopy was conducted to examine the depth of demineralization in tooth specimens. The enamel and dentine specimens from the Part-1 experiments showed distinct backscatter spectra. The spectrum obtained from the enamel-dentine combination and the spectrum generated from the average of the enamel and dentine spectral values were closely similar and showed characteristics of dentine. The experiments in Part 2 showed that demineralization and remineralization processes induced a linear decrease and linear increase in the backscatter light intensity respectively. A negative correlation between the decrease in the backscatter light intensity during demineralization and the depth of demineralization determined using the polarization microscopy was calculated to be p = -0.994. This in vitro experiment highlights the potential benefit of using FOBSS to detect demineralization and remineralization of enamel.

Keywords: Fiber optic; demineralization; dentine; remineralization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the optical sensor arrangement used to test sections of enamel and dentine
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of the optical sensor arrangement used to test tooth specimens
Figure 3
Figure 3
Visible light backscatter spectrum obtained from the sound enamel and dentine sections
Figure 4
Figure 4
Visible light backscatter spectrum obtained from the enamel, dentine, enamel-dentine combination and the average of the enamel and dentine spectra
Figure 5
Figure 5
The graph showing the shift in the average normalized backscatter light intensity (at 670 nm), with different intervals of demineralization
Figure 6
Figure 6
The graph showing the shift in the average normalized backscatter light intensity (at 670 nm), with different intervals of remineralization
Figure 7
Figure 7
The polarization microscopic images of the demineralized tooth specimens
Figure 8
Figure 8
The graph showing the change in the average depth of demineralization as a function of time
Figure 9
Figure 9
Visible light backscatter spectrum obtained from the enamel, dentine, enamel-dentine combination, average of the enamel and dentine spectra and tooth surface
Figure 10
Figure 10
Schematic diagram showing the scattering process in sound and demineralized tooth enamel
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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