Evaluation of resin infiltration using quantitative light-induced fluorescence technology

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biophotonics
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Early detection of dental caries is crucial for effective treatment.
• Resin infiltration (RI) is a minimally invasive technique for treating white spot lesions.
• Accurate color assessment of tooth surfaces is important for evaluating treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) technology in classifying tooth color before and after resin infiltration (RI).
• To determine the correlation between fluorescence changes (ΔF) and color differences (ΔE) using QLF-digital (QLF-D).

Main Methods:

• Sixty bovine teeth specimens were demineralized, with one window treated with RI.
• Color differences (ΔE) were measured using white-light and QLF-D fluorescence imaging.
• Fluorescence change (ΔF) and color differences (ΔE) were correlated using Pearson analysis and Bland-Altman plots.

Main Results:

• Fluorescence imaging yielded ΔE values three times higher than white-light imaging (p<0.001).
• Significant negative correlations were found between ΔE and ΔF for both early caries and RI-treated surfaces (r=-0.492 and r=-0.661, respectively; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• QLF technology is a viable method for assessing color changes in teeth.
• QLF-D can effectively confirm the presence and efficacy of resin infiltration treatment.