Using Terahertz Pulsed Imaging to Measure Enamel Demineralisation in Teeth

As terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) is a non-ionising and non-destructive, three-dimensional technique it can be used for studying hard tissues without requiring sample sectioning, unlike for example, transmission microradiography (TMR). If TPI can measure the depths of demineralised lesions in teeth samples accurately, the same samples could be re-used and re-measured during in vitro and in situ studies on de-and/or re-mineralization. In this study we compare TPI and TMR for the measurement of the depths of a range of artificially-induced lesions in vitro. Detailed analysis of the results and theoretical considerations reveal how the "Gold Standard" TMR depths can be determined non-invasively to within 5% using TPI.