A new type of laser test could mean far fewer of us have to go under the dentist's drill.

    The laser test, developed by a team from the University of Sydney, could be used to identify weaknesses in teeth enamel earlier than is currently possible, cutting down on the need for filings.

    The researchers beamed short, low-energy laser pulses at the teeth enamel. These caused acoustic waves in the surface of the enamel, which were then detected in the infrared laser light that was reflected back from the tooth. According to New Scientist: the team "found that changes in mineralisation of the enamel which signal the onset of decay appear to cause characteristic changes in the pattern of acoustic waves".

    In particular, the team says in the conclusion of its report, which was published in Optics Express, that there was an increase in the speed and frequency of the waves when enamel had worn away to expose the dentin underneath.

    Hsiao-Chuan Wang, one of the researchers, says that the team now plans to create a more compact system. "The ultimate goal is to come up with a quick, efficient, cost-effective and non-destructive way to evaluate mineralisation," he says.

    一種新的激光測試可能意味著我們會有更少的人必須要走到牙鉆下面。

    由悉尼大學的一個小組開發的這種激光檢測方法，可以用來識別牙齒琺瑯質的缺陷，它早于目前可能的方法：在需要的時候切下一些牙質進行銼屑。

    研究者們向牙齒琺瑯質發出短暫的、低能耗的激光脈沖。這在琺瑯質的表面引起聲波。然后在從牙齒反射回來的紅外激光中進行檢測。據《新科學家》報道：這個小組"發現了琺瑯質在氟斑礦化中的變化--它對衰敗的肇端發出信號，似乎引起聲波型式的特征性變化".

    尤其是，這個小組在他們的報告結論中說道，在琺瑯質被磨掉、暴露出下面的牙質的時候，光波的速度和頻率有所增加。這份報告發表在《光學快訊》上。

    研究者之一王曉川（音譯）說，這個小組現在計劃創造一個更為緊湊的系統。"我們最終的目標是要提供一個快速、高效、低成本和無損檢測方法來對氟斑礦化進行評價，"他說。