Characterization of Human Teeth Using Vibrational Spectroscopies

Dentin and enamel are the two main constituents of human teeth, and the detailed characterization of their biochemical properties is of fundamental relevance in many fields of dentistry research. Vibrational spectroscopies such as Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy can be adopted to obtain precise information before and after chemical or physical teeth treatments. In the present work, the two above-mentioned spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate dentin and enamel powders and few mm thick disks cut from human molar teeth. The FT-IR and Raman spectra clearly show the contributions of different sample components. The spectra obtained from the dentin and enamel powders evidence differences due to their chemical composition. The spectra from the human tooth disks present different characteristics depending on the region of the samples from which they were collected, thus enabling a spatial characterization of the samples themselves on different scales. These results confirm that vibrational spectroscopies allow a detailed characterization of hard dental tissues at the microscopic level.