Depolarization imaging of de- and remineralization processes in dental hard tissue by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Depolarization imaging by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is promising in dentistry to detect early carious lesions non-invasively and depth-resolved. The aim of this study is to evaluate the suitability of PS-OCT with examined degree of polarization (DOP) to monitor the progression of de- and remineralization processes using a standardized cyclic in vitro model with bovine enamel slabs. The evaluation of en face and B-scan polarization images show a significant increase in depolarization of the demineralized enamel slabs evident by decreasing DOP values. In summary PS-OCT based depolarization imaging proofed viable for the caries treatment control based on in-vitro studies.