TY - JOUR
T1 - In vivo confocal microscopy in clinical dental research
T2 - An initial appraisal
AU - Watson, T. F.
AU - Petroll, Walter M
AU - Cavanagh, Harrison D
AU - Jester, J. V.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partly supported by a Colgate Research Award and a Dickinson Trust (UMDS) award to T. F. Watson and Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. and the Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust.
PY - 1992/12
Y1 - 1992/12
N2 - Until recently, the in vivo microscopic investigation of intraoral tissues at high resolution has been virtually impossible. Confocal microscopy enables high-resolution imaging to be achieved below semitransparent surfaces in intact living specimens, but this may still be impractical for intraoral applications because of the need to stabilize the sample. The development of a steadying objective (x 240 overall mag.) which is held against the sample surface and is focused by moving internal elements, avoids the need for fine adjustment of the living sample under the microscope to achieve a change of focus. It is therefore more comfortable and also reduces the problems of movement due to the pulse. The objective was used with a tandem scanning microscope, with images recorded via a SIT video camera. Using this system internal tooth structure (e.g. enamel prisms/adhesive restoration interfaces) and the lining cells of the gingival crevice through to the junctional epithelium may be examined. It is also possible to image the oral mucous membrane, focusing to the capillary loops in the basal layers, where streaming red blood cells can be seen. Access is limited to the anterior regions as far back as the premolar teeth. Applications could include caries research, soft and hard tissue responses to biomaterials (e.g. implants), wound healing and monitoring the effect of periodontal treatment regimens. This new technique offers numerous exciting opportunities for the microscopic investigation of many clinical operative procedures in vivo, allowing the response of the tissues to be non-destructively monitored, over time, at high resolution.
AB - Until recently, the in vivo microscopic investigation of intraoral tissues at high resolution has been virtually impossible. Confocal microscopy enables high-resolution imaging to be achieved below semitransparent surfaces in intact living specimens, but this may still be impractical for intraoral applications because of the need to stabilize the sample. The development of a steadying objective (x 240 overall mag.) which is held against the sample surface and is focused by moving internal elements, avoids the need for fine adjustment of the living sample under the microscope to achieve a change of focus. It is therefore more comfortable and also reduces the problems of movement due to the pulse. The objective was used with a tandem scanning microscope, with images recorded via a SIT video camera. Using this system internal tooth structure (e.g. enamel prisms/adhesive restoration interfaces) and the lining cells of the gingival crevice through to the junctional epithelium may be examined. It is also possible to image the oral mucous membrane, focusing to the capillary loops in the basal layers, where streaming red blood cells can be seen. Access is limited to the anterior regions as far back as the premolar teeth. Applications could include caries research, soft and hard tissue responses to biomaterials (e.g. implants), wound healing and monitoring the effect of periodontal treatment regimens. This new technique offers numerous exciting opportunities for the microscopic investigation of many clinical operative procedures in vivo, allowing the response of the tissues to be non-destructively monitored, over time, at high resolution.
KW - Applications
KW - Clinical research
KW - Confocal microscopy
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U2 - 10.1016/0300-5712(92)90024-7
DO - 10.1016/0300-5712(92)90024-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 1452876
AN - SCOPUS:0027017968
SN - 0300-5712
VL - 20
SP - 352
EP - 358
JO - Journal of Dentistry
JF - Journal of Dentistry
IS - 6
ER -