Title
Relationships between birefringence and mineral content in artificial caries lesions of enamel.
Author
Theuns, H.M.
Shellis, R.P.
Groeneveld, A.
van Dijk, J.W.
Poole, D.F.
TNO Nederlands Instituut voor Praeventieve Gezondheidszorg TNO
Publication year
1993
Abstract
The microradiographic mineral content and birefringence in water and Thoulet's solution were measured at selected points in sections of caries-like lesions. Birefringence was not related to mineral content in sound superficial enamel immersed in Thoulet's solution or in the lesion body immersed in water. For the surface layer of the lesion, birefringence in water could be used to obtain qualitative information about mineral content. For the lesion body, birefringence in Thoulet's solution was linearly related to mineral content and can be used to estimate the latter with a standard error of about 7 vol%. The intrinsic birefringence for the lesion body was estimated as -34.5 (+/- 2.3) x 10(-4); This value may also be valid for other parts of the lesion. From consideration of ionic sizes, it is argued that Thoulet's solution cannot necessarily penetrate all enamel pores accessible to water. It appeared that there is a progressive fall in the content of pores inaccessible to Thoulet's solution in the surface layer of the lesion as demineralisation increases.
Subject
Health
Chemistry
Enamel
Tooth disease
Birefringence
Dental Enamel
Human
Microradiography
Minerals
Porosity
Tooth Demineralization
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TNO identifier
232195
ISSN
0008-6568
Source
Caries Research, 27 (1), 9-14
Document type
article