A method for monitoring enamel erosion using laser irradiated surfaces and optical coherence tomography. Issue 9 (21st August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chan, Kenneth H.; Tom, Henry; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Lasers in surgery and medicine. Volume 46:Issue 9(2014)
• Page Start: 672
• Page End: 678
• Publication Date: 2014-08-21
• Subjects: Lasers in medicine -- Periodicals; Lasers in surgery -- Periodicals; 617
• DOI: 10.1002/lsm.22285
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0196-8092

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="lsm22285-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Introduction</title> <p>Since optical coherence tomography (OCT) is well suited for measuring small dimensional changes on tooth surfaces, OCT has great potential for monitoring tooth erosion. Previous studies have shown that enamel areas ablated by a carbon dioxide laser manifested lower rates of erosion compared to the non‐ablated areas. The purpose of this study was to develop a model to monitor erosion <italic>in vitro</italic> that could potentially be used <italic>in vivo</italic>.</p> </sec> <sec id="lsm22285-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Thirteen bovine enamel blocks were used in this <italic>in vitro</italic> study. Each 10 mm × 2 mm block was partitioned into five regions, the central region was unprotected, the adjacent windows were irradiated by a CO<sub>2</sub> laser operating at 9.3 µm with a fluence of 2.4 J/cm<sup>2</sup>, and the outermost windows were coated with acid resistant varnish. The samples were exposed to a pH cycling regimen that caused both erosion and subsurface demineralization for 2, 4 and 6 days. The surfaces were scanned using a time‐domain polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS‐OCT) system and the degree of surface loss (erosion) and the integrated reflectivity with lesion depth was calculated for each window.</p> </sec> <sec id="lsm22285-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>There was a large and significant reduction in the depth of surface loss (erosion) and the severity of demineralization in the areas irradiated by the laser.</p> </sec> <sec id="lsm22285-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Irradiation of the enamel surface with a pulsed carbon dioxide laser at sub‐ablative intensities results in significant inhibition of erosion and demineralization under the acid challenge employed in this study. In addition, these results suggest that it may be feasible to modify regions of the enamel surface using the laser to serve as reference marks to monitor the rate of erosion <italic>in vivo</italic>. Lasers Surg. Med. 46:672–678, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.</p> </sec> </abstract>