[Characterization of the dentin by a 2-dimensional ultrasonic velocity profile]

The velocity of sound is material-specific and therefore offers the opportunity for indirect physical characterization of materials. Preliminary ultrasound velocity profiles gained from ground tooth sections suggested that in the dentin core of the tooth areas of different sound velocity and thus different physical properties can be differentiated. As a base for this type of non-destructive characterization of materials an optimized and automated measurement system is presented, and its possibilities are critically discussed with regard to hardness tests. Normally, the LSV in the dentin core was found to be decreasing from the coronal to the apical regions, as well as from the outer to the inner parts near the pulp.