High-Resolution Subsurface Photoacoustic Imaging of the Teeth Layer

Subsurface photoacoustic imaging with high resolution is utilized to image the teeth layer due to periodontal tissue inflammation. The aim of this imaging method is to determine the difference between healthy teeth and teeth affected by inflammation based on the acoustic signals obtained. An 808 nm diode laser is used as a radiation source, a condenser microphone is used as a detector, and computer numerical control (CNC) is used for the sample scanning process. The samples were healthy and inflamed Sprague-Dawley rat teeth. The average acoustic intensity of healthy teeth layers was 60.200.9 dB for enamel and 52.210.9 dB for dentin, while the average acoustic intensity of inflammation-affected teeth layers was 93.140.4 dB for enamel and 84.840.4 dB for dentin. Based on the histogram results obtained, the generative adversarial network (GAN) method can be used to improve photoacoustic image resolution to become more detailed. The study shows that high-resolution subsurface photoacoustic imaging can be utilized to image teeth layers.