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Dental imaging systems include an optical scanner that scans one or more interrogation beams across a portion of at least one tooth to produce a dentally modulated light flux associated with light scattering, absorption, or other interaction of the interrogation beam and a tooth interior. The dental

Dental imaging systems include an optical scanner that scans one or more interrogation beams across a portion of at least one tooth to produce a dentally modulated light flux associated with light scattering, absorption, or other interaction of the interrogation beam and a tooth interior. The dentally modulated light flux is detected and processed to produce picture information associated with the tooth. Interrogation wavelengths between 800 nm and 1800 nm can be used to provide images suitable for diagnosis and assessment of demineralization or other defects. Interrogation beams at one or more wavelengths can be used. Multiple detectors can be situated to receive dentally modulated light fluxes at different wavelengths or dentally modulated light fluxes with different directions or different locations. Markers at or on a tooth can be used to for depth determination. Index matching to the tooth can improve image quality.

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1. A dental imaging system, comprising: an interrogation optical scanner configured to scan an optical interrogation beam across at least a portion of at least one tooth by varying a position at which the optical interrogation beam strikes a surface of the at least one tooth, wherein the optical int

1. A dental imaging system, comprising: an interrogation optical scanner configured to scan an optical interrogation beam across at least a portion of at least one tooth by varying a position at which the optical interrogation beam strikes a surface of the at least one tooth, wherein the optical interrogation beam is substantially transmissable into the at least one tooth so as to produce a dentally modulated optical flux exiting the interior of the at least one tooth from an exit surface area of the at least one tooth that differs from an entrance surface area at which the optical interrogation beam enters the tooth;an optical detection system that includes a photodetector situated to receive diffuse light associated with the dentally modulated optical flux from the exit surface area, wherein the photodetector is configured to remain substantially fixedly optically coupled to the exit surface area during the scan of the optical interrogation beam, the optical detection system configured to produce a direct detection signal associated with the diffuse light received from the at least one tooth by diffuse direct detection; anda signal processor coupled to receive the direct detection signal and produce picture information associated with the at least one tooth based on the direct detection signal and position information derived from the position of the optical interrogation beam. 2. The dental imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to generate the optical interrogation beam at a wavelength of, or in a range of wavelengths greater than about 800 nm and less than about 1800 nm. 3. The dental imaging system of claim 2, wherein the wavelength or range of wavelengths of the optical interrogation beam is between about 1000 nm and 1800 nm. 4. The dental imaging system of claim 2, wherein a wavelength or range of wavelengths of the optical interrogation beam is between about 1250 nm and 1350 nm. 5. The dental imaging system of claim 2, wherein the wavelength or the range of wavelengths of the optical interrogation beam is between about 1500 nm and 1600 nm. 6. The dental imaging system of claim 2, wherein the interrogation optical scanner includes a scan controller and an optical waveguide that has an output end configured to be selectively displaced in response to the scan controller, and the optical interrogation beam is associated with optical radiation exiting the output end of the optical waveguide. 7. The dental imaging system of claim 6, wherein the optical waveguide is an optical fiber. 8. The dental imaging system of claim 2, wherein the interrogation optical scanner includes at least one rotatable mirror configured to scan the optical interrogation beam along at least one scan direction. 9. The dental imaging system of claim 8, wherein the light source is a laser diode. 10. The dental imaging system of claim 8, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode. 11. The dental imaging system of claim 8, further comprising a modulator configured to apply a modulation to the optical interrogation beam, wherein the signal processor is configured to identify the picture information based on the applied modulation. 12. The dental imaging system of claim 11, wherein the applied modulation has a period that is not greater than a dwell time of the interrogation beam. 13. The dental imaging system of claim 11, wherein the applied modulation is at a frequency greater than the frequencies associated with the picture information. 14. The dental imaging system of claim 8, further comprising an optical filter situated with respect to the detection system so as to preferentially reject light fluxes at wavelengths or wavelength ranges that are different from the wavelength or wavelength ranges of the dentally modulated optical flux. 15. The dental imaging system of claim 8, wherein the optical detection system comprises a first photodetector and a second photodetector configured to remain substantially fixedly optically coupled to the exit surface area during the scan of the optical interrogation beam and that are configured to produce a first direct detection signal and a second direct detection signal, respectively, associated with the diffuse light received from the at least one tooth, and the signal processor is coupled to receive the first and second direct detection signals and produce picture information associated with the at least one tooth based on the first and second direct detection signals and position information derived from the position of the optical interrogation beam. 16. The dental imaging system of claim 15, wherein the optical interrogation beam includes an optical flux in a first wavelength range and an optical flux in a second wavelength range, and the first photodetector and the second photodetector produce the first direct detection signal and the second detection signal based on a dentally modulated optical flux in the first wavelength range and the second wavelength range, respectively. 17. The dental imaging system of claim 8, further comprising a dental display scanning system that includes a display optical scanner that directs an optical display beam onto a display surface, wherein a modulation of the optical display beam is selected so as to produce a visible image of the at least one tooth associated with the dentally modulated optical flux. 18. The dental imaging system of claim 17, wherein the display optical scanner and the interrogation optical scanner are based on a common optical beam scanner and the dental display scanning system is configured so that the visible image of the at least one tooth produced by the optical display is formed on a surface of the at least one tooth. 19. The dental imaging system of claim 17, wherein the dental display scanning system comprises an image screen configured to be situated in proximity to the at least one tooth, and the dental display scanning system is configured so that the visible image of the tooth associated with a current or previous dentally modulated optical flux is formed on the image screen. 20. The dental imaging system of claim 19, wherein the display optical scanner and the interrogation optical scanner are based on a common optical beam scanner. 21. The dental imaging system of claim 8, further comprising: an optically transmissive coupling surface having a predetermined surface shape; andan optically transmissive conformable material in optical communication with the coupling surface, wherein the conformable material is configured to be conformable to a surface of a tooth and wherein the optically transmissive coupling surface and the optical transmissive conformable material are situated so as to communicate the optical interrogation beam into the at least one tooth. 22. The dental imaging system of claim 21, wherein the coupling surface is provided on the conformable material. 23. The dental imaging system of claim 21, wherein the coupling surface is provided on an optical window, and the conformable material contacts the optical window. 24. The dental imaging system of claim 23, wherein the predetermined surface shape is substantially planar. 25. The dental imaging system of claim 8 wherein the signal processor is configured to receive a first detection signal and a second detection signal associated with an interior of a tooth viewed from a first direction and a second direction, and further comprising at least one marker situated at a surface of the tooth and positioned so as to provide an indication of depth based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal. 26. The dental imaging system of claim 1 further comprising a light coupling device configured to couple the dentally modulated optical flux to the optical detection system. 27. The dental imaging system of claim 26, wherein the light coupling device is configured to selectively couple the dentally modulated optical flux from a selected area of the at least one tooth to the optical detection system. 28. The dental imaging system of claim 26, wherein the light coupling device includes a light guide situated to direct the dentally modulated optical flux to the optical detection system. 29. The dental imaging system of claim 1, wherein the diffuse light received by the photodetector includes portions received along a plurality of paths from the at least one tooth, and the signal processor is configured to produce picture information associated with the at least one tooth based on the received diffuse light. 30. The dental imaging system of claim 1, wherein the diffuse light received by the detector includes light that is scattered out of the optical interrogation beam. 31. The dental imaging system of claim 1 further comprising an index matching fluid situated at the entrance surface area at which the optical interrogation beam enters the tooth. 32. The dental imaging system of claim 1, wherein the optical detection system consists of a single photodetector situated to receive diffuse light associated with the dentally modulated optical flux from the exit surface area, and the diffuse direct detection signal is associated with diffuse light received at the single photodetector. 33. A dental imaging method, comprising: projecting and scanning an interrogation beam on at least a portion of at least one tooth by varying a position at which the optical interrogation beam strikes a surface of the at least one tooth so as to produce a dentally modulated optical flux associated with the interior of the at least one tooth, wherein the dentally modulated optical flux emerges from a region of the at least one tooth that differs from the region at which the optical interrogation beam entered the at least one tooth;detecting the dentally modulated optical flux by diffuse direct detection with a detector that is fixedly optically coupled to the tooth during the scanning; andobtaining an image of the at least one tooth based on the detected dentally modulated optical flux and position information derived from the position of the interrogation beam. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the interrogation beam consists essentially of optical radiation at wavelengths between about 1000 nm and 1800 nm. 35. The method of claim 33, further comprising directing the interrogation beam to the tooth through an index matching material. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the index matching material comprises a fluid applied to the at least one tooth. 37. The method of claim 35, wherein the index matching material comprises a solid material that is conformed to the tooth surface. 38. The dental imaging method of claim 33, wherein the interrogation beam is scanned using a scan controller and an optical waveguide that has an output end configured to be selectively displaced in response to the scan controller, and the interrogation beam is associated with optical radiation exiting the output end of the optical waveguide. 39. The method of claim 38, further comprising scanning an optical display beam so as to form an image of the tooth in proximity to the tooth based on the dentally modulated flux. 40. The method of claim 39, further comprising scanning the optical interrogation beam and the display beam with a common scanner. 41. The method of claim 38, further comprising scanning an optical display beam and the interrogation beam with a common optical scanner so that the optical display beam forms an image of the at least one tooth directly on the at least one tooth, based on the dentally modulated flux. 42. The method of claim 38, wherein scanning the interrogation beam comprises scanning a first interrogation beam and a second interrogation beam at a first wavelength and a second wavelength, respectively, and respective dentally modulated optical fluxes are processed to form at least one image of the tooth. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first interrogation beam and the second interrogation beam are scanned substantially simultaneously on the tooth by the same optical scanning device. 44. The method of claim 42, wherein the dentally modulated optical fluxes associated with the first wavelength and the second wavelength are processed by a first detector and a second detector to produce a first optical detection signal and a second optical detection signal, respectively. 45. The method of claim 42, further comprising providing a common detector and selectively processing the dentally modulated flux associated with either the first wavelength or the second wavelength. 46. The method of claim 38, further comprising forming a visible light image of the tooth with a camera. 47. The method of claim 38, further comprising providing at least one marker on or near a tooth surface so as to provide a depth indication based on at least two images. 48. The method of claim 38, wherein the processing comprises producing a first optical detection signal and a second optical detection signal associated with a first detector and a second detector, respectively. 49. The dental imaging method of claim 33, wherein the interrogation beam is scanned using a rotatable mirror configured to scan the interrogation beam along at least one scan direction. 50. The dental imaging method of claim 33, wherein the diffuse dentally modulated optical flux includes light scattered out of the scanned optical interrogation beam. 51. The method of claim 33, wherein the dentally modulated optical flux is detected with a single photodetector. 52. A dental imaging system, comprising: an interrogation optical scanner configured to scan an optical interrogation beam across at least a portion of at least one tooth by varying a position at which the optical interrogation beam strikes a surface of the at least one tooth, wherein the optical interrogation beam is substantially transmissable into the at least one tooth so as to produce a dentally modulated optical flux exiting the interior of the at least one tooth from an exit surface area of the at least one tooth that differs from an entrance surface area at which the optical interrogation beam enters the tooth;an optical detection system that includes a photodetector situated to receive diffuse light associated with the dentally modulated optical flux from the exit surface area, wherein the photodetector is configured to remain substantially fixedly optically coupled to the exit surface area during the scan of the optical interrogation beam, the optical detection system configured to produce a diffuse direct detection signal associated with the dentally modulated optical flux received from the at least one tooth by diffuse direct detection; anda signal processor coupled to receive the detection signal and produce picture information associated with the at least one tooth based on the diffuse direct detection signal and position information derived from the position of the optical interrogation beam. 53. The dental imaging system of claim 52, wherein the optical detection system consists of a single photodetector situated to receive diffuse light associated with the dentally modulated optical flux from the exit surface area, and the diffuse direct detection signal is associated with diffuse light received at the single photodetector.