太赫兹光谱和成像技术在口腔医学中应用的研究进展

Research Progress in the Application of Terahertz Spectroscopy and Imaging Technology in Stomatology

太赫兹波是指0.1~10 THz范围内的电磁波,具有无损、无电离损伤、能识别分子特征指纹谱的优势,在生物医学领域应用前景广阔。通过样本的太赫兹光谱信号和/或还原成像,太赫兹光谱可以识别和表征不同层次的生物结构如蛋白质等生物分子,并可延伸到细胞和组织。本文对太赫兹光谱和成像技术在口腔医学中应用的研究新进展做文献综述,从牙齿解剖结构、龋病进展程度以及口腔软组织三个方面介绍最新研究结果、优势与局限性等,并提出了今后可能的探索方向。

Terahertz waves, the electromagnetic waves in the range of 0.1 to 10 THz, has the advantages of being damage-free, causing no ionizing radiation injury, and being capable of recognizing the fingerprint spectrum of molecular characteristics, thus holding encouraging prospects for wide applications in the field of biomedicine. Terahertz spectrum can be used to identify and characterize biological structures of different levels, from biomolecules such as proteins to cells and tissues, through the spectral signals and/or restored images of the samples. Herein, we summarized the current stomatogical application of and research progress in terahertz spectroscopy and imaging in dentistry, reported the latest research findings, strengths and limitations from three perspectives, tooth anatomical structure, the extent of caries progression, and oral soft tissue, and suggested possible directions for future exploration.