Molecular Fingerprint Imaging to Identify Dental Caries Using Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract

Tooth loss impairs mastication, deglutition and esthetics and affects systemic health through nutritional deficiency, weight loss, muscle weakness, delayed wound healing, and bone fragility. Approximately 90% of tooth loss is due to dental caries and periodontal disease. Accordingly, early treatment of dental caries is essential to maintaining quality of life. To date, the clinical diagnosis of dental caries has been based on each dentist’s subjective assessment, but this visual method lacks objectivity. To improve diagnostic ability, highly sensitive quantitative methods have been developed for the diagnosis and prevention of dental caries and are gradually becoming a mandatory item in modern dentistry. High-resolution Raman spectroscopy is a suitable tool for recognizing the subtle structural changes that occur in dental enamel in already developed or, more importantly, incipient dental caries. Raman analysis could soon emerge as a breakthrough in dentistry because of its high diagnostic sensitivity. In this study, we build upon our previous findings in a new analysis of dental caries using Raman spectroscopy imaging and discuss the possibility of using Raman photonic imaging in support of objective diagnostics in dentistry. Our findings support the Raman method of caries detection in comparison with other conventional or new approaches.

Raman spectroscopy in cell biology and microbiology

“…Specifically regarding the field of dentistry, Raman algorithm for the evaluation of incipient caries [ 434,435 ] and the effect of demineralization upon exposure to phosphoridic liquid (e.g., CocaCola®) [ 436 ] have been worked out. The application of these highly precise algorithms in caries diagnostics has been also demonstrated in practical dentistry, [ 435,437 ] and the development of portable Raman instrumentations toward clinical translation is ongoing.…”

In vitro mineral apposition analysis of two Colombian plant extracts on Amelogenesis imperfecta teeth

“…No changes in intensity (arbitrary units) or in Raman shift (cm À1 ) were observed, when teeth were stored for 6 months at 4 C in water or artificial saliva (Figure 1b). In teeth with AI stored under the same conditions aforementioned, only a discrete change (reduction) was observed for Raman intensity corresponding to orthophosphates (1037.5 cm À1 ; Figure 1c), most likely due to hypomineralized tooth enamel, which is susceptible to mineral loss, due to its fragility by contact, wear, and decomposition (Buonocore, 1955;Buonocore, 1975;Miyamoto et al, 2020;Murrillo et al, 2015;Ramakrishnaiah et al, 2015;Sa et al, 2017). Phosphate and orthophosphate mineral apposition was observed, when the commercial product ClinPro (3M) was used on demineralized teeth slices and those with AI (Figure 2).…”

Development of a Visualisation Approach for Analysing Incipient and Clinically Unrecorded Enamel Fissure Caries Using Laser-Induced Contrast Imaging, MicroRaman Spectroscopy and Biomimetic Composites: A Pilot Study

“…Visualisation, sensitivity and rapid testing of diagnostic instruments are the main applicability criteria for diagnostic methods. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of modern investigations are concerned with the use of Raman spectroscopy for clinical applications in dental diagnostics [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Raman spectroscopy can be considered the gold standard for the analysis of the mineralisation of the hard dental tissues [ 21 , 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”