Tactile sensation in relation to roughness and reflection of active initial lesions in primary (deciduous) and permanent dentition in vitro

In both primary (deciduous) and permanent dentition active caries lesions exhibit significantly higher roughness and lower vertical reflection intensity compared with sound enamel. These differences are detectable by blind tactile examination and objective methods such as 3D-laser-scanning or multi-sensor microscopy, highlighting their utility in caries diagnosis in both dentitions.