Discrimination between composite resin and teeth using fluorescence properties.

The differentiation of composite resin from teeth using fluorescence emission was investigated as basic research for the visual detection of resin filled teeth in mass dental health examinations. Fluorescence spectra were taken from extracted human maxillary central incisors and 12 types of light-cured composite resins with a maximum of 15 shades via excitation using light with wavelengths of 400-500 nm. The fluorescence intensity ratio of resin to tooth was lowest around 500 nm for all the resins. The fluorescent images were taken based on spectroscopic results, which confirmed discrimination between the resin part and the tooth in the resin filled tooth.