The human fluorescence discrimination as precondition for the use of fluorescence-aided identification techniques (FIT).

Objectives: The fluorescence-aided identification technique (FIT) is based on the fluorescence properties of dental materials, specifically the intensity of their fluorescence compared to the autofluorescence of hard dental substances; this creates a perceived contrast between dental material and tooth. However, no studies to date have determined the extent to which the fluorescence intensity of tooth-colored dental materials must differ from that of natural autofluorescence to ensure reliable visual detection. The aim of this study was therefore to determine, for the first time, how pronounced the difference between fluorescence intensity and autofluorescence must be to reliably identify tooth-colored material.