Comparative ablation rate from a Er: YAG laser on enamel and dentin of primary and permanent teeth

This study was conducted to analyze the ablation rate and micromorphological aspects of microcavities in enamel and dentin of primary and permanent teeth using a Er: YAG laser system. Micromorphological evaluation has been performed in terms of permanent teeth; however, little information about Er: YAG laser interaction with primary teeth can be found in the literature. Because children have been the most beneficiary patients with laser therapy in our offices, it is extremely necessary to compare the effects of this kind of laser system on the enamel and dentin of permanent and primary teeth. In this study, we used eleven intact primary anterior exfoliated teeth and six extracted permanent molar teeth. We used a commercial laser system: a Er: YAG Twin Light laser system (Fotona Medical Lasers, Slovenia) at 2940 nm, changing average energy levels per pulse (100, 200, 300, and 400 mJ) producing 48 microcavities in enamel and dentin of primary and permanent teeth. Primary teeth are more easily ablated than are permanent teeth, when related to enamel or dentin. However, while this laser system is capable of slowly revealing the enamel’s microstructure, in dentin only the lowest laser energies permit this kind of observation, more easily decomposing the original tissue aspect, when related to primary or permanent teeth. Statistically, the only different factor at the 5% level was an energy per pulse of 400 mJ, confirming the results found in SEM. Our results showed that dentin in both primary and permanent teeth is less resistant to Er: YAG laser ablation; this fact is easily observed under SEM observation and through the ablation rate evaluation.     

Visible Light Emission due to Resonant CO2 Laser Excitation of Dental Hard Tissue

Visible light emission of dental hard substances excited by high-power infrared pulses of a tunable TEA CO₂ laser has been investigated. A clear correlation between observed visible light emission, plasma formation as well as ablation of dental hard tissue has been demonstrated. Both, the highly nonlinear infrared to visible upconversion process and the ablation efficiency show a sharp spectral resonance close to a vibrational mode of PO₄ at 1090 cm^-1 in dental enamel and dentin. The influence of strong infrared light impulses on dental hard tissue is examined by performing upconversion studies of visible light emission of human dental enamel and dentin. Our experimental setup allows one to determine the plasma formation threshold being important in dental surgery.     

Insights into the structure and composition of the peritubular dentin organic matrix and the lamina limitans

Dentin is a mineralized dental tissue underlying the outer enamel that has a peculiar micro morphology. It is composed of micrometer sized tubules that are surrounded by a highly mineralized structure, called peritubular dentin (PTD), and embedded in a collagen-rich matrix, named intertubular dentin. The PTD has been thought to be composed of a highly mineralized collagen-free organic matrix with unknown composition. Here we tested the hypothesis that proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, two important organic structural features found in dentin, are key participants in the microstructure and composition of the PTD. To test this hypothesis dentin blocks were demineralized with 10 vol% citric acid for 2 min and either digested with 1mg/ml TPCK-treated trypsin with 0.2 ammonium bicarbonate at pH 7.9 (TRY) or 0.1 U/mL C-ABC with 50mM Tris, 60mM sodium acetate and 0.02% bovine serum albumin at pH 8.0 (C-ABC). TRY is known to cleave the protein core of dentin proteoglycans, whereas C-ABC is expected to selectively remove glycosaminoglycans. All specimens were digested for 48 h in 37°C, dehydrated in ascending grades of acetone, immersed in HMDS, platinum coated and imaged using an FE-SEM. Images of demineralized dentin revealed a meshwork of noncollagenous fibrils protruding towards the tubule lumen following removal of the peritubular mineral and confirmed the lack of collagen in the peritubular matrix. Further, images revealed that the peritubular organic network originates from a sheet-like membrane covering the entire visible length of tubule, called lamina limitans. Confirming our initial hypothesis, after the digestion with C-ABC the organic network appeared to vanish, while the lamina limitans was preserved. This suggests that glycosaminoglycans are the main component of the PTD organic network. Following digestion with TRY, both the organic network and the lamina limitans disappeared, thus suggesting that the lamina limitans may be primarily composed of proteoglycan protein cores. In summary, our results provide novel evidence that (1) PTD lacks collagen fibrils, (2) PTD contains an organic scaffold embedded with mineral and (3) the PTD organic matrix is manly composed of glycosaminoglycans, whereas the lamina limitans is primarily made of proteoglycans protein cores.     

红外光曝露对于大鼠组织影响的傅里叶变换红外光谱研究

生物组织受到外界电磁场曝露以后,生物分子的结构可能会发生变化,所发生的变化可以从组织的红外光谱的变化得到确认。为了研究红外光曝露对血液、睾丸以及脑组织的影响,对曝露于红外光条件下30天的大鼠的血液、睾丸和脑组织进行了红外光谱测量,将测试结果在1 700～1 000 cm-1范围内与对照组进行了对比,并利用红外光谱的二阶导数谱进一步分析红外光曝露对生物各组织微观结构特性的影响,探讨了红外光曝露的作用位点及其机制。研究结果表明红外光曝露可致大鼠组织的红外光谱特征发生一定的变化,傅里叶变换红外光谱技术可以用于分析红外光曝露对于生物组织微观结构的影响及其发生机制。     

Applications of Raman Spectroscopy in Dentistry: Analysis of Tooth Structure

Abstract: Tooth enamel is the most mineralized tissue in the human body, and in this article the use of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of tooth structure, a comparison with synthetic apatites, and use in dentistry are described. Spectral peaks that are related to dental hard and soft tissues are discussed, which provide crucial data in understanding the chemical structural properties of dentin and enamel. The Raman spectrum of dentin confirms the presence of crystalline phosphate-based minerals in dentin. Both dentin and enamel consist of two primary components: an inorganic or mineral phase that closely resembles hydroxyapatite and the Raman spectrum of dentin that confirms the presence of crystalline phosphate-based minerals in dentin. Hence, the mineral phase in dentin and enamel may be characterized essentially as nonstoichiometric substituted apatite. The presence of carbonate (A and B type) incorporated in the hydroxyapatite lattice is also confirmed by the presence of spectral bands. The organic phase, which is mainly composed of type I collagen, is confirmed by the spectral bands of amide I and amide II bands, tryptophan, and phenylalanine. Furthermore, these spectral bands associated with organic and inorganic parts of the enamel and dentin are useful in predicting early formation of carries formation.     

牙本质龋的太赫兹成像研究

牙本质龋与牙髓感染状态及活力密切相关,龋损深度则决定临床治疗方案,但目前牙本质龋的检测及诊断方法如：视诊、探诊容易受到主观因素影响;X线辅助检查对龋病灵敏度低等,都有一定缺陷,可靠性及有效性仍有待提高。太赫兹时域光谱可以利用不同的物理参数成像,在牙本质龋在体、无损检测方面有较大应用潜力。为探索牙本质龋损的太赫兹光谱图像开展本研究。实验通过搭建透射、反射式扫描太赫兹平台,对15枚含牙本质龋离体牙磨片扫描,通过数据二维重构,获得了不同参数的太赫兹透射和反射图像,再将太赫兹图像与实验室研究龋病的光镜图像与X线图像对比、拟合并进行光镜下、太赫兹图像下龋损面积评价。结果表明：太赫兹图像与光镜图像相符,较X线图像灵敏度更高。反射模式下由于太赫兹反射信号较弱,使得样品厚度,表面粗糙程度以及系统噪声对实验结果影响较大,图像仅能辨识样本轮廓,不能用于区分牙釉质、牙本质及牙本质龋。透射模式下的频域1.4 THz相位差成像、时域信号最小值对应的时间成像都能区分牙釉质,牙本质和牙本质龋,可以用来鉴别三者,其中最小值对应的时间成像效果最佳。对光镜下测得牙本质龋损面积与太赫兹透射模式下的时域信号最小值对应的时间图...     

Erbium:YAG (2.94 mum) laser effects on dental tissues

Past trials with soft and calcified tissues have demonstrated that long pulse train (2.5 mus) Er:YAG (2.94 mum) laser may be used to ablate tooth structure of human teeth. Determination of physical and thermal damage to surrounding tissue during removal of enamel and dentin is a primary objective of this study. Extracted human teeth with thermal probes imbedded in the pulp chambers were submitted to cavity preparation using an Erbium YAG laser with water mist. Wavelength selection as well as use of a water mist during the procedure resulted in efficient tissue removal without significant surrounding damage. Ground sections and SEM sections of teeth showed little or no melting or ash formation in adjacent dentin and enamel and no visible change in the pulp chamber. The surfaces produced by laser ablation were rough and irregular with craters and grooves. Average temperature change in the pulp chamber monitored during tooth preparation was 2.2 degrees Centigrade. These findings suggest that constantly available water aids vaporization and microexplosions, increasing the efficiency of tooth structure removal, and aids in cooling of the tooth structures. The long pulse Er:YAG (2.94 mum) laser may be an effective method for tooth reduction applications when used with a water mist.     

Mechanical heterogeneity of dentin at different length scales as determined by AFM phase contrast

In this study we sought to gain insights of the structural and mechanical heterogeneity of dentin at different length scales. We compared four distinct demineralization protocols with respect to their ability to expose the periodic pattern of dentin collagen. Additionally, we analyzed the phase contrast resulting from AFM images obtained in tapping mode to interrogate the viscoelastic behavior and surface adhesion properties of peritubular and intertubular dentin, and partially demineralized dentin collagen fibrils, particularly with respect to their gap and overlap regions. Results demonstrated that all demineralization protocols exposed the gap and overlap zones of dentin collagen fibrils. Phase contrast analyses suggested that the intertubular dentin, where the organic matrix is concentrated, generated a higher phase contrast due a higher contribution of energy dissipation (damping) than the highly mineralized peritubular region. At increasing amplitudes, viscoelasticity appeared to play a more significant contribution to the phase contrast of the images of collagen fibrils. The overlap region yielded a greater phase contrast than the more elastic gap zones. In summary, our results contribute to the perspective that, at different length scales, dentin is constituted of structural features that retain heterogeneous mechanical properties contributing to overall mechanical performance of the tissue. Furthermore, the interpretation of phase contrast from images generated with AFM tapping mode appears to be an effective tool to gain an improved understanding of the structure and property relationship of biological tissues and biomaterials at the micro- and nano-scale.     

Effects of frozen storage and sample temperature on water compartmentation and multiexponential transverse relaxation in cartilage

Multiexponential transverse relaxation in tissue has been interpreted as a marker of water compartmentation. Articular cartilage has been reported to exhibit such relaxation in several studies, with the relative contributions of tissue heterogeneity and tissue microstructure remaining unspecified. In bovine nasal cartilage, conflicting data regarding the existence of multiexponential relaxation have been reported. Imaging and analysis artifacts as well as rapid chemical exchange between tissue compartments have been identified as potential causes for this discrepancy. Here, we find that disruption of cartilage microstructure by freeze-thawing can greatly alter the character of transverse relaxation in this tissue. We conclude that fresh cartilage exhibits multiexponential relaxation based upon its microstructural water compartments, but that multiexponentiality can be lost or rendered undetectable by freeze-thawing. In addition, we find that increasing chemical exchange by raising sample temperature from 4°C to 37°C does not substantially limit the ability to detect multiexponential relaxation.     

Electron Spin Resonance–Native Signal in Thermally Treated Dental Tissue

Although the dosimetric Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signal of hard tissues, particularly enamel, has been extensively studied, little attention has been paid to the native signal. This signal is known to be affected by the health of the tissue, as well as by socio–economic factors. In dental applications several clinical procedures, including the use of laser irradiation, can heat the tissue locally with side effects that must be studied. The purpose of the present work is to study the ESR signals in enamel and dentin tissues after thermal treatment with temperatures in the range of 100°C–300°C. Non‐irradiated permanent bovine teeth were studied. ESR measurements were performed with a Varian E‐4 ESR spectrometer operating in the X band range. Progressively larger ESR signals were produced in dentin tissues previously heat treated at and above 100°C. No detectable signals were observed in similarly treated enamel. The signal shows partial decay at four and six months after thermal treatment. The experimental data for dentin show a correlation with the Arrhenius function with an activation energy of (41 ± 2)10³ J/mol. After six months, the ESR signal shows a higher activation energy (67 ± 3)10³ J/mol and the decay shows a activation energy of (38 ± 2)10³ J/mol. A possible assignment of the signal origin in dentin is difficult. The water lost during thermal treatment and reincorporated during the following six months correlates with the signal gain and subsequent decay. The water lost can produce point defects in the hydroxyapatite, or structural changes in the collagen structure. The results observed here are useful for understanding the thermal effects produced in dentin by infrared laser irradiation, and provides a cautionary warning that annealing conditions in ESR studies of biological tissues should be standardized.     

Microstructure measurement based on frequency-shift feedback in a-cut Nd:YVO_4 laser

A new optical method based on frequency-shift feedback and laser confocal microscopy is presented to noninvasively measure a microstructure inside a sample. Due to the limit of axial resolution caused by poor signal detection ability, conventional laser feedback cannot precisely measure the microstructure. In this Letter, the light scattered by the sample is frequency shifted before feedback to the laser to obtain a magnification. Weak signals that change with the microstructure can be detected. Together with the tomography ability of laser confocal microscopy, the inner microstructure can be measured with high axial resolution.     

Focussing of laser beams by means of a z-pinch formed plasma guiding system

It is shown that during a capillary discharge, plasma channels for guiding light from high-power lasers are temporarily formed. The experiments are performed with alumina capillaries of 2-mm radius and 14-cm length filled with about 100 Pa of helium, methane or hydrogen. The transmission of probe light is enhanced due to light guiding by a factor up to 20 during a time window of 5 ns. The results indicate the formation of a first channel, when the shock wave reaches the axis, and of a second channel after the reflection of the shock wave on the axis. Compared to simple focussing by a lens, in the guiding device the intensity–length product increases by almost two orders of magnitude. Guiding is achieved over 180 times the Rayleigh length. Received: 20 June 2000 / Revised version: 4 August 2000 / Published online: 6 September 2000     

Ultrastructural examination of dentin using focused ion-beam cross-sectioning and transmission electron microscopy

Focused ion-beam (FIB) milling is a commonly used technique for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation of inorganic materials. In this study, we seek to evaluate the FIB as a TEM preparation tool for human dentin. Two particular problems involving dentin, a structural analog of bone that makes up the bulk of the human tooth, are examined. Firstly, the process of aging is studied through an investigation of the mineralization in ‘transparent’ dentin, which is formed naturally due to the filling up of dentinal tubules with large mineral crystals. Next, the process of fracture is examined to evaluate incipient events that occur at the collagen fiber level. For both these cases, FIB-milling was able to generate high-quality specimens that could be used for subsequent TEM examination. The changes in the mineralization suggested a simple mechanism of mineral ‘dissolution and reprecipitation’, while examination of the collagen revealed incipient damage in the form of voids within the collagen fibers. These studies help shed light on the process of aging and fracture of mineralized tissues and are useful steps in developing a framework for understanding such processes.     

Applied validity of effortless method for design of sinusoidal surface microstructure

With the purpose of easily analyzing and designing the transmittance performance of a sinusoidal surface microstructure, the validity of effortless methods including scalar diffraction theory and effective medium theory has been evaluated quantitatively by the comparison of diffraction efficiencies predicted from scalar theory and effective indices theory, respectively, with exact results calculated with the rigorous vector method of Fourier modal method. Generally speaking, when the normalized period of surface microstructure is less than ten wavelengths of the incident light the scalar diffraction theory is believed to be inaccurate for designing and analyzing the diffraction efficiency of surface microstructure. But, in this paper, it is found that scalar diffraction theory can be used for predicting transmittance of the optical elements when the normalized period is more than three wavelengths of incident light within the error less than 5% at normal incidence. In addition, it is generally recognized that the effective medium theory is inaccurate for analyzing periodic surface microstructure when the normalized period is more than a tenth of the wavelength of incident light. However, the results in this study shows that effective medium theory is accurate as only zero-order waves are to propagate through the surface profiles, which the maximum difference between zero-order effective indices method and rigorous vector method reaches to 1%. Besides, the limitation of both simplified theories is dependent on not only the normalized period of a surface microstructure but also the normalized groove depth. Therefore, the range of applied validity of scalar theory and effective medium theory is expanded quantitatively compared to that of previous inaccuracy application for more easily designing and analyzing a sinusoidal surface microstructure.     

Tomographic Imaging of Collagen Fiber Orientation in Human Tissue Using Depth-Resolved Polarimetry of Second-Harmonic-Generation Light

We propose a nonlinear optical probe method to image the distribution of collagen fiber orientation in human tissue by measuring the polarization of collagen-induced second-harmonic-generation (SHG) light (SHG polarimetry). Depth-resolved SHG polarimetry, with a depth resolution of 14 μm, was used to evaluate the cross-sectional profile of collagen fiber orientation in Achilles tendon and dentin, revealing a characteristic distribution of collagen orientation along the depth direction. We evaluated the two-dimensional (2D) lateral distribution of collagen fiber orientation in back reticular dermis and anklebone by polarization-resolved SHG imaging, and confirmed an appreciable difference in the distribution profiles of the two samples. We further extended the method to a depth-resolved measurement of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of collagen orientation in anklebone. The proposed system promises to be a powerful tool for in vivo measurement of collagen fiber orientation in human tissue.     

Enhancing light extraction from tapered internal reflection microstructure

The internal transmittance characteristics of the taper surface microstructure grating with the feature size in a large dimension range from subwavelength nanostructure to microstructure are investigated to improve the light extraction efficiency of light emitting diodes. It is found that subwavelength taper nanostructure can not overcome the total internal reflection, but it is interesting that the taper microstructure can effectively surmount the total internal reflection at a larger emitted angle over the critical angle also with higher transmittance. Besides, the emission characteristics of light intensity for subwavelength nano-grating and taper micro-grating are demonstrated. Also, the simple approaches of the scalar diffraction theory and the effective medium method can accurately analyze respectively the taper microstructure and subwavelength nanostructure grating. It is expected that the taper microstructure could be integrated into light emitting diodes to tremendously enhance the emission efficiency.     

牙齿组织光学穿透深度有限元仿真分析

利用有限元方法对光在二维牙齿双层有限尺寸模型中传输的扩散方程进行求解,获取了光能在组织体内部的分布情况,并对牙釉质和牙本质在不同光学参量模型下的光学穿透深度进行仿真分析.结果发现,穿透深度随牙釉质散射系数的增大而减小,随牙本质的散射系数增大而增大.但牙釉质的穿透深度随散射系数的变化率（βe=0.007 97）要远远大于牙本质（βd=0.000 828）.采用Monte Carlo随机统计方法验证了本文有限元求解扩散方程的正确性.     

Derivation of the system of evolution equations in optical filaments

A system of differential evolution equations for numerical modeling of the radiation propagation process is obtained for the amplitude of the field of an optical filament taking into account coupling coefficients. It is shown that, in optical filaments consisting of single-mode light guiding elements, the field amplitude in the transverse cross section of the filament satisfies a parabolic equation (the paraxial wave equation). The “diffusion” coefficient is defined by the distance between the centers of light guiding cores and the overlapping integral of interacting modes (the value of cross noise). In the case of few-mode and multimode light guiding channels, the system of equations can be solved using the method of splitting in physical processes.     

LiNbO3:Fe晶体中光写入平面光波导的导光特性研究

从光折变效应的单中心模型和载流子的光伏迁移机理出发给出了高斯片光在LiNbO3:Fe晶 体中导致的折射率变化分布的解析表达式.利用片光以“三明治”辐照方式在LiNbO3:Fe晶 体中写入了平面光波导结构.用切片干涉法测量了波导区的折射率分布，并对波导进行了简 单的导光测试.根据射线方程以及波导的折射率分布对光写入波导的导光特性进行了模拟计 算分析.研究结果表明，在LiNbO3:Fe晶体中光写入光波导是可行的. 关键词： LiNbO3:Fe晶体 光辐照法 平面光波导 导光特性 高斯片光