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Published on: November 28, 2016
Sorption of tin on human teeth
A A Helal1, Gh A Alian, H A Madbouly
1Hot Laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt. Abdallah_Helah@hotmail.com
Health Physics
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Human teeth absorb tin ions from drinks like water and tea, with minimal absorption from coffee. Once absorbed, tin is difficult to remove, indicating teeth act as a natural filter for trace elements.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Tin ions are present in various beverages consumed daily.
- Human teeth are exposed to these beverages, raising questions about potential uptake.
- Understanding the interaction between tin and dental enamel is crucial for health assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sorption and desorption of tin ions on human teeth from different drinks.
- To quantify tin uptake from water, coffee, and sweetened tea.
- To assess the potential of teeth to retain trace elements like tin.
Main Methods:
- Utilized radioactive tracer technique with tin-113 isotope (113Sn).
- Studied sorption of tin ions from water, coffee, and tea with sugar onto human teeth.
- Investigated desorption of pre-sorbed tin from teeth specimens.
Main Results:
- Teeth exhibited maximum tin ion sorption from water and sweetened tea.
- Coffee resulted in minimum tin ion uptake by teeth.
- Sorbed tin ions demonstrated very low desorption rates from teeth.
- Teeth function as a natural sieve, retaining trace elements from ingested liquids.
Conclusions:
- Human teeth accumulate tin ions from common beverages, particularly water and sweetened tea.
- The low desorption rate suggests a persistent binding of tin to dental structures.
- Teeth play a role in filtering and retaining trace elements, including tin, from the diet.
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