Feasibility of using Non-Destructive Techniques for Measuring Tooth Degradation

Dental degradation is a chronic degenerative disease and cannot be avoided. This study aims to verify the possibility of using non-destructive and radiation-free techniques to detect and measure the changes to teeth geometry from wear. Ultimately a technique is required that can be used in the mouth by dentists to measure/detect relatively small amounts of wear.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), ultrasound and focus-variation microscopy (Alicona) were used to measure the wear loss of samples in this research. A Universal Mechanical Tester (UMT) was used to create wear scars on the samples by two types of wear modes with variable test cycles. The first involved an impact and then a uni-directional slide to mimic a chewing action. The second just involved reciprocating sliding to mimic bruxism

Wear tests were carried out using a zirconia ball impacting/sliding against flat specimens made from an artificial tooth restorative material (Vita Enamic and Fibrafill® CUBE) that were used to mimic a tooth. Artificial saliva was added to improve the oral simualtion.

Depth measurements from OCT showed particular promie when compared to the Alcona measurements. In order to analyse actual tooth material and more realistic surface geometries, bovine and then extracted human teeth will be analysed in the future.