Application of vibrational spectroscopy to the study of mineralized tissues (review)

The infrared and Raman spectroscopy of bone and teeth tissues are reviewed. Characteristic spectra are obtained for both the mineral and protein compo nents of these tissues. Vibrational spectroscopy is used to study the miner alization process, to define the chemical structure changes accompanying bo ne diseases, and to characterize interactions between prosthetic implants a nd tissues. Microspectroscopy allows acquisition of spatially resolved spec tra, with micron scale resolution. Recently developed imaging modalities al low tissue imaging with chemical composition contrast. (C) 2000 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S1083-3668(00)01203-X].