Enhanced detection of dentinal lesions in OCT images using the RKT transformation

Several studies have shown that optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to measure the remaining enamel thickness and detect the location of subsurface lesions hidden under the sound enamel. The purpose of this study was to develop algorithms to enhance the visibility of subsurface structures such as hidden occlusal lesions and the dentinal-enamel junction. Extracted teeth with natural occlusal lesions were imaged with OCT with and without added high index fluids. A Rotating Kernel Transformation (RKT) nonlinear image processing filter was applied to PS-OCT images to enhance the visibility of the subsurface lesions under the sound enamel. The filter significantly increased (P<0.05) the visibility of the subsurface lesions.