New Trends in Dental Biomechanics with Photonics Technologies

Engineering techniques used to evaluate strain-stress fields, materials’ mechanical properties, and load transfer mechanisms, among others, are useful tools in the study of biomechanical applications. These engineering tools, as experimental and numerical ones, were imported to biomechanics, in particular in dental biomechanics, a few decades ago. Several experimental techniques have been used in dental biomechanics, like photoelasticity, ESPI (Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry), strain gages, and other kinds of transducers. However, these techniques have some limitations. For instance, photoelasticity and ESPI give the overall field pattern of the strain, showing the stress-strain concentration points. These methods cannot give an accurate measurement at all points. On the contrary, strain gages can be used to perform local measurements. However, as they use electrical resistances, their use is limited to perform in vivo measurements. Optical fiber sensors have already been used in dentistry, for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and in dental biomechanics studies. Lasers have also been used in clinical dentistry for a few decades. Other optical technologies, like optical coherence tomography (OCT), became suitable for dental practice and nowadays it is perhaps one that has had more development in dentristry, along with lasers. OPEN ACCESS Appl. Sci. 2015, 5 1351