A new concept in restorative dentistry: light-induced fluorescence evaluator for diagnosis and treatment. Part 1: Diagnosis and treatment of initial occlusal caries.

AIM The objective of this in vivo experiment is to propose an innovative therapeutic concept using a light-induced fluorescence evaluator for diagnosis and treatment (LIFEDT) that is based on the imaging and autofluorescence of dental tissues. BACKGROUND Processes with the aim of diagnosing carious lesions in the initial stage with optimum sensitivity and specificity employ a wide variety of technologies, but like the conventional diagnosis tools, they remain either inefficient or too subjective. TECHNIQUE This experiment evaluated a fluorescence light-induced camera that illuminates tooth surfaces within an excitation radiation band of light with a wavelength of 450 nm and facilitates a high magnification image. CONCLUSION An analysis of 50 occlusal grooves revealed three clinical forms of enamel caries: (1) enamel caries on the surface, (2) suspicious grooves with a positive autofluorescent red signal, and (3) suspicious grooves with a neutral fluorescent dark signal. Two decision-making diagrams were proposed in accordance with international recommendations for preventive dentistry, but modified as a result of the accurate information obtained with this new LIFEDT device. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The lighting of suspect occlusal grooves with the SoproLife camera enables observation of any variations in the optical properties to refine a caries diagnosis and facilitates more than a 50x magnification of occlusal groove anatomy to provide additional information on the carious potential of the tooth surface.