Visualization of carious lesions with polarized and depolarized light microscopy

Julia Grundmann; Jonas Golde; Svea Steuer; Florian Tetschke; Lars Kirsten; Julia Walther; Edmund Koch; and Christian Hannig

Visualization of carious lesions with polarized and depolarized light microscopy

Author : Julia Grundmann, Jonas Golde, Svea Steuer, Florian Tetschke, Lars Kirsten, Julia Walther, Edmund Koch, and Christian Hannig Journa Name: BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS Country : USA Volume: 15 issue: 5 Year: 2024 Views : 199

Abstract:

Polarized light microscopy (PLM) is an established method in dental histology for investigating the ultrastructure and carious process of teeth. This study introduces a novel approach for measuring the degree of polarization (DOP) in a modified PLM setup and uses the DOP to assess the changes of the optical properties of enamel and dentin due to caries. The validation is provided by a comparison with complementary imaging methods, i.e. standard PLM and µCT. The results show that demineralization is reliably displayed by the DOP in accordance with the common imaging methods, and that this quantitative analysis of depolarization allows the characterization of the different pathohistological zones of caries.