Detection modalities that can evaluate the early stages of dental caries are indispensable. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the efficacy of photothermal radiometry and modulated luminescence (PTR-LUM) to non-destructively detect and quantify simulated enamel caries. Two experiments were performed based on the PTR-LUM detection mode: back-propagation or
transmission-mode. Artificial demineralized lesions were created in human molars and a subset was further exposed to an artificial remineralizing solution. PTR-LUM frequency scans were performed periodically during de/re-mineralization treatments. PTR data was fitted to a theoretical model based on optical and thermal fluxes in enamel to extract opto-thermophysical parameters. Lesion validation was performed using transverse microradiography (TMR). Optical
and thermal properties changed with the development and repair of the caries lesions while theory-derived thicknesses paralleled those determined microradiographically. These trends coupled with the uniqueness-of-fit of the generated parameters illustrate the efficacy of PTR-
LUM to non-destructively detect and quantify de/re-mineralized lesions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/24578 |
| Date | 26 July 2010 |
| Creators | Hellen, Adam |
| Contributors | Mandelis, Andreas, Finer, Yoav |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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