Imaging and characterization of dental structure using optical coherence tomography

Summary form only given. Optical probing of dental structure has thus far been primarily limited to visible and ultraviolet wavelengths where scattering dominates the propagation of light. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) techniques, however, have demonstrated that light in the near-infrared region of the spectrum can often provide higher resolution interior imaging of biological tissues. Here, we use OCT to obtain high-resolution interior images and investigate the optical properties of normal and diseased dentin and enamel.