Initial caries diagnosis in rat molars, using laser fluorescence

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Abstract
Scoring of enamel caries in rat molars in ordinary light and in laser fluorescence was compared. Fifty rats were infected with Streptococcus mutatis; 5 served as control rats, and the other 45 were fed a cariogenic diet for 15–20 days. With Keyes's system, the total enamel caries score for 35 of the test rats was 29.1 lesions per rat (l/r) in ordinary light and 39.6 l/r in laser fluorescence. The corresponding scores for fissure caries were 15.9 l/r and 21.6 l/r, respectively. Fissure caries scores of thin, longitudinal, central sections from the molars of the 10 remaining test rats were 18.0 l/r in ordinary light, 21.4 l/r in laser fluorescence, and 17.1 l/r in microradiographic analysis. In conclusion, the use of laser fluorescence improves scoring of early enamel carious lesions in rat molars, offering potential reductions in test time and/ or sucrose load in animal caries research.