Fluorescent properties of porcelain-restored teeth and their discrimination

Abstract

The differentiation of porcelain from tooh using fluorescence emission was investigated as a basic research for the visual detection of porcelain-restored teeth in mass dental health examinations. The fluorescence spectra were taken from the extracted human maxillary central incisors and five types of porcelain by excitation using the light 380-470 run. There was a clear difference in fluorescence intensity between tooth and porcelain using excitation longer than 400nm. Tooth and porcelain could be successfully distinguished on an image photographed by fluorescent light.