Theory of X-ray microcomputed tomography in dental research: application for the caries research.
10.5395/JKACD.2011.36.2.98
- Author:
Young Seok PARK
1
;
Kwang Hak BAE
;
Juhea CHANG
;
Won Jun SHON
Author Information
1. Department of Oral Anatomy, Seoul National University School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Caries diagnosis;
Dental caries, Micro-CT;
X-ray microcomputed tomography
- MeSH:
Calibration;
Dental Caries;
Dentistry;
X-Ray Microtomography
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry
2011;36(2):98-107
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
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.
