microXRF analysis of traces and calcium-phosphate phases on tooth-tartar interfaces using synchrotron radiation

JOSÉ ABRAHAM; HÉCTOR JORGE SÁNCHEZ; MIRIAM GRENÓN; MARÍA CECILIA VALENTINUZZI; CARLOS PÉREZ

Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy.

Año: 2007 vol. 62 p. 689 - 694

Hard dental tissues like dentine and cementum with calcified deposities (dental calculi) wee studied in several human dental pieces of adult individuals from the same geographic region. A couple of cross cuts were performed at dental root level resulting in a planar slice with calculus and dental tissue exposed for analysis. The elemental content along a linear path crossing the dentine-cementum tartar interfaces and also all over a surface were measured by X-ray fluorescence microanalysis using synchrotron radiation (microSRXRF). The concentration of elemental traces like K, V, Cu, Zn, As, Br and Sr showed different features on the analyzed regions. The possible connections with the dynamic of mineralization and biological implications are discussed. The concentrations of major elements Ca and P were also determined and the measured Ca/P molar ratio was used to estimate the average composition of calcium-phospahte phases in the measured points. A deeper knowledge of the variations of the elemental compositions and the changes of the different phases will help to a better understanding of the scarcely mechanism of calculus growing.