Abstract
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) utilizes short laser pulses to deposit energy into light absorbers and sensitively detects the ultrasonic waves the absorbers generate in response. PAM directly renders a three-dimensional spatial distribution of sub-surface optical absorbers. Unlike other optical imaging technologies, PAM features label-free optical absorption contrast and excellent imaging depths. Standard dental imaging instruments are limited to X-ray and CCD cameras. Subsurface optical dental imaging is difficult due to the highly-scattering enamel and dentin tissue. Thus, very few imaging methods can detect dental decay or diagnose dental pulp, which is the innermost part of the tooth, containing the nerves, blood vessels, and other cells. Here, we conducted a feasibility study on imaging dental decay and dental pulp with PAM. Our results showed that PAM is sensitive to the color change associated with dental decay. Although the relative PA signal distribution may be affected by surface contours and subsurface reflections from deeper dental tissue, monitoring changes in the PA signals (at the same site) over time is necessary to identify the progress of dental decay. Our results also showed that deep-imaging, near-infrared (NIR) PAM can sensitively image blood in the dental pulp of an in vitro tooth. In conclusion, PAM is a promising tool for imaging both dental decay and dental pulp.
Highlights
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) utilizes short laser pulses to deposit energy into light absorbers and sensitively detects the ultrasonic waves the absorbers generate in response
In order to determine whether PAM is sensitive to color change associated with dental decay, dental tissue slices (2 mm thick) with dental decay lesions were prepared and imaged with the Proc. of SPIE Vol 7884 78840U-3 Downloaded From: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie on 9/18/2018 Terms of Use: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/terms-of-use
The color change associated with dental decay at lesion site as shown in a conventional light microscopy image was clearly identified by dark-field AR-PAM in a maximum amplitude projection (MAP) image with high contrast
Summary
Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) utilizes short laser pulses to deposit energy into light absorbers and sensitively detects the ultrasonic waves the absorbers generate in response. PAM directly renders a three-dimensional spatial distribution of sub-surface optical absorbers. Unlike other optical imaging technologies, PAM features label-free optical absorption contrast and super imaging depths [1,2]. Standard dental imaging instruments are limited to X-ray and digital imaging cameras. Subsurface optical dental imaging is difficult due to the highlyscattering enamel and dentin tissue. Very few imaging methods can detect dental decay or diagnose dental pulp, which is the innermost part of the tooth, containing the nerves, blood vessels, and other cells. We conducted a feasibility study on imaging dental decay and dental pulp with PAM
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