J Korean Acad Conserv Dent.  2011 Mar;36(2):98-107. 10.5395/JKACD.2011.36.2.98.

Theory of X-ray microcomputed tomography in dental research: application for the caries research

• Park YS
• Bae KH
• Chang J
• Shon WJ

• KMID: 2251813
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5395/JKACD.2011.36.2.98

Abstract

Caries remains prevalent throughout modern society and is the main disease in the field of dentistry. Although studies of this disease have used diverse methodology, recently, X-ray microtomography has gained popularity as a non-destructive, 3-dimensional (3D) analytical technique, and has several advantages over the conventional methods. According to X-ray source, it is classified as monochromatic or polychromatic with the latter being more widely used due to the high cost of the monochromatic source despite some advantages. The determination of mineral density profiles based on changes in X-ray attenuation is the principle of this method and calibration and image processing procedures are needed for the better image and reproducible measurements. Using this tool, 3D reconstruction is also possible and it enables to visualize the internal structures of dental caries. With the advances in the computer technology, more diverse applications are being studied, such automated caries assessment algorithms.

Keyword

Caries diagnosis; Dental caries, Micro-CT; X-ray microcomputed tomography

MeSH Terms

Calibration
Dental Caries
Dentistry
X-Ray Microtomography

Figure

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  Figure 1 Example of desktop polychromatic X-ray microtomography, Skyscan 1172 (Skyscan, Kontich, Belgium).

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  Figure 2 3-dimensinal rendering of carious tooth (the results of pilot study of the authors).

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