Tetracycline discoloration of teeth: Diagnosis by long-wave and short-wave ultraviolet light: A comparative study

T here is ample literature documenting the discoloration-inducing effects of various members of the tetracycline family when administered to patients during the period of tooth formation. However, since other tooth-discoloring factors are also known to exist, suitable techniques for differentiating tetracyclineinduced discoloration from discoloration due to other factors have been sought. One of the more widely employed methods has been examination of the dentition for evidence of a characteristic fluorescence which is observable when tetracycline-discolored teeth are viewed under ultraviolet light and, conversely, for the absence of fluorescence when the discoloration is the result of factors other than tetracycline deposition. It has been established that tetracycline fluorescence can be excited by ultraviolet light of varying wavelengths. As a matter of fact, some investigators have employed a short-wave light source of approximately 2,537 A, and others have used a long-wave light source of approximately 3,660 A. This study was undertaken to determine, if possible, the comparative attributes of ultraviolet sources of these varying wavelengths in inducing fluorescence of tetracycline-discolored teeth. The comparative efficacy of using the 2,537 A (short-wave*) and the 3,660 A (long-wave*) ultraviolet light sources was determined by studying the observ-