A review of applications of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in dental research

FTIR spectroscopic imaging is a chemical imaging method that can be employed to a broad range of applications. This powerful technique is suitable for determining the functional groups and chemical structures of the samples. The advantage of infra-red spectroscopy is that it can be used for various modes of physical samples. The aim of the current paper was to review the recent advances and the potential uses of Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy in dentistry via exploring related literature during 1960 till 2017 in Science Direct and PubMed databases. One of the most popular applications of infrared spectroscopy is to calculate the degree of conversion in the resin based dental materials. It has also been used to investigate the chemical structure of the teeth and bones, synthesis calcium phosphate, the diagnosis of microorganisms, and pathological conditions. In this paper, we mentioned the principles of this technique and recommend this method as a simple and fast way to determine the structure of the materials and their alteration.