Studies on Sound and Carious Enamel with the Quantitative Acoustic Microscope

Abstract

The scanning acoustic microscope gives strong contrast from small caries lesions in sections of human enamel. The uniqueness of the acoustic microscope lies in its ability to image elastic properties. In addition to revealing the extent and the shape of lesions, the microscope may also be used to measure the elastic properties point by point across an area of interest. Since enamel is anisotropic, measurements of the Rayleigh velocity and attenuation were made as a function of direction on a section of sound enamel. The velocity was greatest parallel to the prism axis, and the attenuation was least in this direction. Measurements of V(z) across a section through a lesion are presented. The variation of attenuation can be interpreted in terms of the development of demineralization, initially along prism boundaries and then along cross-striations. The variation of velocity indicates a substantial reduction of elastic stiffness in the lesion.

Assessment of the accuracy of dental enamel thickness measurements using microfocal X‐ray computed tomography

“…Noninvasive methods such as ultrasonic imaging or acoustic microscopy (Baum et al, 1963;Lees, 1968Lees, , 1971Lees and Barber, 1968;Peck et al, 1989;Yang, 1991Yang, , 1996Mezava et al, 1999;Maev et al, 2000Maev et al, , 2002 and radiography have been employed to quantify tooth enamel thickness. Although acoustic microscopy has been used in several clinical studies of enamel and dentine, the accuracy of the quantitative data obtained has yet to be established.…”

Ultrasonic investigation of the effect of S-PRG filler-containing coating material on bovine tooth demineralization

“…As previously described, the orientation of the enamel prism and dentinal tubules might modify the sonic velocity 19) . According to the plane of section of the teeth, specimens are at different angles to the direction of the ultrasonic beam.…”

Ultrasonic monitoring of the setting of silicone elastomeric impression materials

“…Therefore, reliable methods capable of determining the setting process of impression material at every step of polymerization are necessary, and these measurement procedures should be performed with minimal time delay. Ultrasonic imaging is a noninvasive technique that offers considerable potential for diagnosis, is a valuable tool for research [11][12][13][14] , and allows measurement of dentin thickness 15,16) . It also allows for monitoring the setting process of impression material because the sound velocity is dependent on the elastic modulus and the attenuation coefficient correlates with the viscoelastic properties of elastomers 17,18) .…”