Quantification of dental fluorosis using fluorescence imaging

Area of Science:

• Dental Research
• Biomedical Imaging
• Public Health

Background:

• Dental caries assessment uses fluorescence imaging, but this is challenging for diffuse dental fluorosis.
• Existing caries analysis software requires sound enamel for reference, which is often absent in fluorosis cases.
• Dental fluorosis presents as diffuse enamel hypomineralization, unlike discrete caries lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel fluorescence imaging device and software for objective assessment of dental fluorosis.
• To determine the correlation between the new fluorescence imaging method and the established TF (Enamel Fluorosis) index.
• To assess the potential of this technology for longitudinal, in vivo monitoring of enamel fluorosis.

Main Methods:

• A fluorescence imaging device and custom software were developed to capture and analyze images of anterior teeth.
• A sample of 26 subjects with varying fluorosis severity (TF scores 0-3) was recruited.
• The TF index was used to score teeth from conventional photographs and fluorescence images; data were analyzed using Kendall's tau correlation.

Main Results:

• The fluorescence imaging method demonstrated a strong correlation with TF scores derived from fluorescence images (Kendall's tau = 0.862).
• The developed software objectively measured fluorosis area and severity.
• The system proved effective even without a distinct area of sound enamel for reference.

Conclusions:

• The described fluorescence imaging device and software offer a promising approach for objective, potentially blinded, in vivo assessment of dental fluorosis.
• This technology could facilitate reliable longitudinal studies of enamel fluorosis progression and treatment efficacy.
• The method overcomes limitations of existing QLF software for assessing diffuse enamel opacities characteristic of fluorosis.