The study of human dentine with secondary ion microscopy and electron diffraction

The highly polished surface of serial transverse ground sections of human coronal dentine were coated under vacuum with an aluminium grid and studied with a SMI 300 ion microanalyser (Cameca, Paris) based on mass spectrography. Secondary ion microscopy demonstrated a qualitative distribution of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. A higher content in Ca, P and Mg was noted in peritubular dentine. Selective area electron diffreaction patterns of this zone, using LiF as standard, showed the presence of whitlockite in peritubular dentine where about 1% in weight of magnesium seemed to be incorporated.