A new technology that spots tooth decay almost as soon as it’s begun promises to reduce the need for drilling and filling. Drilling is one of the top dental phobias causing many to not to go to the dentist.
The new technology may be available five years from now, is based on Raman spectroscopy most commonly used to distinguish between different chemicals by identifying each molecule’s unique fingerprint. It detects decay simply and painlessly by pointing a tiny optical fibre at the tooth to check on its health.
A preliminary study at King’s College London, where the technique is being developed, found that chemical changes in the tooth could be detected by analysing how light is scattered when a laser is fired at the tooth. Researchers were able to tell healthy teeth from carious teeth because bacteria, responsible for the decay, scatter light in a different way to healthy teeth.
A PhD student working on developing the technique at King’s College London, said: ‘The earlier you spot decay the better as you can remineralise the area so there is no cavitation and therefore no need for a filling.’
The downside of developing the machines is the cost and the time it takes to do a scan which can be up to 30 seconds.
The results were presented at Microscience 2008 and published in SCI’s Chemistry & Industry (C&I) magazine.
Adapted from materials provided by Society of Chemical Industry.