Physical and mathematical modeling of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a promising method to treat local bacterial infections. The therapy is painless and does not cause bacterial resistances. However, there are gaps in understanding the dynamics of the processes, especially in periodontal treatment. This work describes the advances in fundamental physical and mathematical modeling of aPDT used for interpretation of experimental evidence. The result is a two-dimensional model of aPDT in a dental pocket phantom model. In this model, the propagation of laser light and the kinetics of the chemical reactions are described as coupled processes. The laser light induces the chemical processes depending on its intensity. As a consequence of the chemical processes, the local optical properties and distribution of laser light change as well as the reaction rates. The mathematical description of these coupled processes will help to develop treatment protocols and is the first step toward an inline feedback system for aPDT users.