Laser Speckle Imaging: A Novel Method for Detecting Dental Erosion

Erosion is a highly prevalent condition known as a non-carious lesion that causes progressive tooth wear due to chemical processes that do not involve the action of bacteria. Speckle images proved sensitive to even minimal mineral loss from the enamel. The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of laser speckle imaging analysis in the spatial domain to quantify shifts in the microstructure of the tooth surface in an erosion model. 32 fragments of the vestibular surface of bovine incisors were divided in for groups (10 min, 20 min. 30 min and 40 min of acid etching) immersed in a cola-based beverage (pH approximately 2.5) twice a day during 7 days to create an artificial erosion. By analyzing the laser speckle contrast map (LASCA) in the eroded region compared to the sound it was observed that the LASCA map shifts, proportionally to the acid each duration, by: 18%; 23%; 39% and 44% for the 10 min; 20 min; 30 min and 40 min groups, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the correlation between speckle patterns and erosion progression.