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Remineralization of Enamel Caries Can Decrease Optical Reflectivity

Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, Box 0758, 707 Parnassus Ave., University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0758, USA; dfried{at}itsa.ucsf.edu

View larger version (39K): [in a new window]   Figure 1. PS-OCT b-scan images of bordering sound enamel in the parallel (A) and perpendicular (B) axes. Near the enamel surface (arrows), the signal in the perpendicular axis is minimal compared with the moderate back-scattered intensity in the parallel axis. Parallel-axis images of the nine-day artificial caries lesion (C) and the lesion after fluoride remineralization treatment (E) show the decrease in overall reflectivity with the existence of a surface zone of lower scattering after treatment. All of the parallel-axis images possess intense surface reflection that confounds analysis of the subsurface enamel and surface zone. Perpendicular-axis images of the artificial caries lesion (D) and the remineralized lesion (F) are shown. The perpendicular-axis image clearly resolves a surface zone, with optical properties similar to those of the sound enamel (B), and illustrates that the overall reflectivity of the lesion decreased after remineralization. Images are displayed in a false-color scale (bottom), and the blue scale bar (A) is 200 µm in real depth.

View larger version (73K): [in a new window]   Figure 2. Polarized light microscopy (400x) of transverse sections of hydrated artificial enamel caries samples (A) and samples exposed to 20 days of fluoride remineralization solution (B). The artificial caries samples in (A) had an intact surface zone with a dark depolarizing lesion body. After remineralization, a zone of repaired enamel was evident over the remaining depolarizing lesion body. High-resolution digital transverse microradiography (TMR) revealed extensive mineral loss, with a higher mineral volume surface zone, after the nine-day exposure to the demineralization solution (C). After exposure to the remineralization solution, the mineral volume increased in the lesion body and was completely restored near the surface zone of the artificial lesion (D). The blue scale bars are 50 µm.