In Vivo & In Vitro T2* Quantification of Carious Lesions by Ultra-Short Echo-Time (UTE) MRI

Anna-Katinka Bracher¹, Axel Bornstedt¹, Erich Hell², Johannes Ulrici², Volker Rasche¹

The T2* value of dentin and caries lesions was assessed by ultra-short echo time (UTE) MRI. A significant difference between the mean T2* values in caries lesions and healthy dentin was observed. Significant changes in T2* occur even before the lesions become visible in conventional X-ray imaging. This indicates the potential of MRI for very early identification of dental demineralizations and initial caries lesions.