A Pilot Study on Hydrogen Bonding Analysis in Human Dental Tissues
Wencai He1, Jordan C Livingston 2, Evan R Sobiesk 2, Yuanyuan Duan2, Shan Yang1
1Department of Chemistry, Physics and Atmospheric Science, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS
2Department of Biomedical Materials Science, School of Dentistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
Water plays a critical role in dental tissues including enamel and dentin. The characterization of water structure analysis was primarily conducted by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analytic technology with capability for structure analysis in materials. However, acquiring high wavenumber Raman signals from dental tissues was challenging due to either the fluorescence interference under laser illumination or reduced sensitivity of CCD detectors. In this study, we demonstrated a pilot research on high wavenumber hydrogen bonding detection in dentin tissues using a customized Raman spectrometer based on InGaAs detector. The results suggest that particle size hydroxyapatite crystals in enamel is larger than those in dentin. In addition, the variation of Raman profile of water between surface enamel and inner enamel suggests that the technology has the potential for probing water structure in dental tissues. In the future, such studies may lead to the understanding the role of water in the process of tooth degrading or caries development.