Dental OCT

Abstract

This chapter describes the applications of OCT for imaging in vivo dental and oral tissue. The oral cavity is a diverse environment that includes oral mucosa, gingival tissues, teeth and their supporting structures. Because OCT can image both hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity at high resolution, it offers the unique capacity to identity dental disease before destructive changes have progressed. OCT images depict clinically important anatomical features such as the location of soft tissue attachments, morphological changes in gingival tissue, tooth decay, enamel thickness and decay, as well as the structural integrity of dental restorations. OCT imaging allows for earlier intervention than is possible with current diagnostic modalities. We will address all the anatomical structures within the oral cavity that are accessible with OCT technology, including the teeth, periodontal tissues, and oral mucosa. A brief review of normal oral structures will be followed by a summary of the pathologies affecting each structure, a discussion of existing diagnostic tools, and an overview of diagnostic usage of OCT in each structure. In the final section, we will discuss the potential use of OCT in dentistry in the future.