Translucency of Human Dental Enamel

Translucency of human dental enamel was determined by total transmittance of wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm. The transmission coefficient at 525 nm was 0.481 mm-1. Total transmission of light through human dental enamel increased with increasing wavelength. Human tooth enamel is more translucent at higher wavelengths. The translucency of wet human enamel and enamel after dehydration was also measured by total transmittance. The transmission coefficient at 525 nm decreased from 0.482 to 0.313 mm-1 after dehydration and was reversed on rehydration. The decrease in translucency occurred as a result of the replacement of water around the enamel prisms by air during dehydration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68115/2/10.1177_00220345810600100401.pd

Translucency of Dental Porcelains

The translucency of comparable shades of five dental porcelains was determined. Both direct transmittance and total transmittance were measured at wavelengths of 400 - 700 nm. For 1 mm of porcelain, the values for direct transmittance were low and averaged 0.13 percent, whereas the values for total transmittance averaged 26.8 percent. Transmittance increased with increasing incident wavelength. These results indicated a high degree of light scattering.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67691/2/10.1177_00220345800590011101.pd