Mapping of healthy oral mucosal tissue using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy: ratiometric-based total hemoglobin...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Oral Medicine
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Oral mucosal tissues exhibit variations in histology and vascularization.
• Non-invasive methods are crucial for diagnosing oral conditions and precancerous changes.
• Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) offers potential for tissue characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clinically evaluate the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) ratiometric method for differentiating normal oral mucosal tissues.
• To assess variations in spectral features and total hemoglobin content across different oral mucosal types.
• To explore the potential of DRS for non-invasive monitoring of oral tissue characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one healthy patients underwent in vivo diffuse reflectance spectral measurements (450-650 nm).
• Spectral intensity ratios were determined at specific wavelengths (512, 540, 558, 575, 620 nm) for masticatory, lining, and specialized mucosa.
• Statistical analysis (ANOVA, post hoc tests) compared spectral ratios and estimated total hemoglobin.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in diffuse spectral ratios were observed between the three oral mucosal tissue groups (P < 0.05).
• Specific wavelength ratios (e.g., 558/620 nm, 575/620 nm, 512/558 nm) showed significant distinctions between tissue types.
• Spectral ratios at 558, 575, and 620 nm best reflected differences in total hemoglobin content.

Conclusions:

• Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) can effectively differentiate normal oral mucosal tissues based on spectral ratios.
• DRS-derived total hemoglobin concentrations show variations across different oral sites.
• A DRS databank of normal oral tissue spectral ratios could enhance oral tissue discrimination for histological assessment and early precancerous change detection via neovascularization monitoring.