In-vitro Thermal Maps to Characterize Human Dental Enamel and Dentin

Area of Science:

• Dental research
• Biophysics
• Materials science

Background:

• Tooth structure comprises highly mineralized enamel and less mineralized dentin.
• Differences in composition and structure lead to distinct thermal properties.
• Thermal properties offer a novel method for characterizing tooth tissues and detecting demineralization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a thermal map of a sound human tooth slice to visually characterize enamel and dentin.
• To map a demineralized human tooth slice to explore the diagnostic potential of thermal imaging for caries detection.

Main Methods:

• Two human tooth slices (one sound, one demineralized) were cooled and re-warmed on a hotplate.
• Infrared thermal imaging captured the rewarming sequence.
• Thermal diffusivity and conductivity were calculated; customized software generated thermal maps from relaxation time and heat exchange data.

Main Results:

• Thermal maps successfully characterized enamel and dentin in both sound and demineralized tooth slices.
• Sound and demineralized tissues were distinguishable within the thermal maps.
• The findings support the potential of thermal imaging for caries assessment.

Conclusions:

• Thermal mapping can differentiate between tooth enamel and dentin based on their thermal properties.
• Thermal imaging shows promise for detecting demineralized areas, indicating early-stage caries.
• Further research on whole teeth is warranted to explore clinical applications.