Abstract
The physical understanding of the optical properties of dental biomaterials is mandatory for their final success in restorative applications.Light propagation in biological media is characterized by the absorption coefficient, the scattering coefficient, the scattering phase function,the refractive index, and the surface conditions (roughness). We have employed the inverse adding-doubling (IAD) method to combine transmittanceand reflectance measurements performed using an integrating-sphere setup with the results of the previous scattering-anisotropygoniometric measurements. This has led to the determination of the absorption and the scattering coefficients. The aim was to opticallycharacterize two different dental-resin composites (nanocomposite and hybrid) and one type of zirconia ceramic, and comparatively studythem. The experimental procedure was conducted under repeatability conditions of measurement in order to determine the uncertaintyassociated to the optical properties of the biomaterials. Spectral variations of the refraction index and the scattering anisotropy factor werealso considered. The whole experimental procedure fulfilled all the necessary requirements to provide optical-property values with lowerassociated uncertainties. The effective transport coefficient presented a similar spectral behavior for the two composites but completelydifferent for the zirconia ceramic. The results demonstrated that the scattering anisotropy exerted a clearly distinct impact on the opticalproperties of the zirconia ceramic compared with those of the dental-resin composites.
Highlights
Optical properties of biological media are key parameters in such contrasting fields as the food industry [1] and legal or forensic medicine [2]
For each dental biomaterial analyzed, the spectral values of the optical properties determined are presented in Tables 5 to 7 with their associated uncertainties
The factor of 1 − g varied between 1.192 ± 0.003 and 1.247 ± 0.005 for the zirconia ceramic, while this factor varied from 0.01700 ± 0.00021 to 0.0513 ± 0.0004 for the nanocomposite, and from 0.04570 ± 0.00014 to 0.1445 ± 0.0003 for the hybrid composite
Summary
Optical properties of biological media are key parameters in such contrasting fields as the food industry [1] and legal or forensic medicine [2]. The development of laserbased techniques for treatments and diagnostics depends on the knowledge of light distribution in the biological media. In restorative dentistry this is especially important, since novel mechanisms for improving patients’ comfort and satisfaction are permanently sought. The most disturbing aspects for dentistry patients are related to the use of mechanical instruments. The use of other laser types has been proposed as a method of decontaminating treated areas in order to prevent caries and plaque as well as to detain bacterial spread [6, 7]. The improvement in the adhesion of restorative material is an advantage of laser treatment cited by clinicians [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
