In vivo OCT imaging of hard and soft tissue of the oral cavity

Abstract

We use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to perform a comprehensive program of in vivo and in vitro structural imaging of hard and soft tissues within the oral cavity. We have imaged the different types of healthy oral mucosa as well as normal and abnormal tooth structure. OCT is able to differentiate between the various types of keratinized and non-keratinized mucosa with high resolution. OCT is also able to provide detailed structural information on clinical abnormalities (caries and non-caries lesions) in teeth and provide guidance in dental restorative procedures. Our investigations demonstrate the utility of OCT as a diagnostic imaging modality in clinical and research dentistry.

Surfing the spectrum – what is on the horizon?

“…Waves in the near-infra-red are split then recombined, enabling a pattern from the interference and back-scattered waves to format a 2D image of the optical reflection [23][24][25] and 3D real-time imaging is also achievable. It is a noninvasive, non-contact, non-ionising technique, with no biological effects to date.…”

“…The chosen wavelength determines the depth of penetration and the resolution, which can reach 2.0mm and 5-15µm, respectively. Uses include assessment of oral soft-tissue lesions and caries-depth with polarization 26 (figure 6 24 ).…”

Systematic Optimization for Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging

“…After collecting A-scan, combining a series of these axial depth scans to form a crosssectional tomography is called a "B-scan". Up to now, OCT has been already widely used in clinical application such as ophthalmology [2][3][4][5][6] and dentistry [7][8][9][10]. OCT is currently divided into two main categories: time-domain OCT (TD-OCT) and frequency-domain OCT (FD-OCT).…”

Caracterização de tecidos biológicos através de tomografia por coerência óptica

“…Este sistema requer melhorias na detecção e na fonte óptica o que providenciará uma maior penetração no esmalte, permitindo uma avaliação mais profunda do tecido, como já demonstrado na literatura 67,68 . A técnica de OCT tem a vantagem de apresentar precisamente a localização da falha na restauração como apresentado aqui.…”

“…A técnica de OCT tem a vantagem de apresentar precisamente a localização da falha na restauração como apresentado aqui. Finalmente, como já demonstrado na literatura 69,68 , imagem de OCT in vivo e em tempo real podem ser obtidas e assim essa técnica torna-se potencialmente útil para diagnósticos clínicos. …”