Optical Coherence Tomography-A Boon for Dental Diagnostics

Objective: Presently oral examination of a patient is carried out by three methods –clinical or visual examination, periodontal examination and radiography. However each of these has their own limitations. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a3dimensional,non-invasive imaging modality that produces high resolution images in cross section through in homogeneous samples such as biological tissue. Colston et al in 1998 first used OCT in dentistry. Method: OCT is of 3 main types- Time domain OCT (TD-OCT), Fourier domain OCT (FD-OCT) and Parallel OCT. There are various scanning procedures depending on the engine performing the imaging and its application, A scan, B scan, C scan and T scan. It has various uses in non-medical fields, medical field and dentistry. The dental optical coherence tomography (OCT) system aims to produce images of dental microstructure In vivo, that help in assessing the qualitative and quantitative status of oral tissue health. This review has taken into consideration all these imaging modalities. Conclusion: Through these images, the clinically anatomical structures can be correlated such as location of the soft tissue attachment, morphological changes in gingival tissue, tooth decay, and structural integrity of dental restorations