Posteruptive changes in human dental fluorosis--a histological and ultrastructural study

The aim of the present study was to describe the structural features characterizing the severe grades of human fluorotic enamel (TF scores 5-9) with particular emphasis on the posteruptive changes in severely fluorosed teeth. Dental fluorosis is a subsurface hypomineralized lesion deep to a well-mineralized outer enamel surface, which in severe cases breaks apart shortly after eruption. Early signs of posteruptive changes comprise small defects corresponding to the opening of striae of Retzius. The enamel pits which develop after eruption in more severe cases exhibit an increase in mineral content at their base which correspond to the exposed subsurface hypomineralized lesions. Likewise, the extensive removal of surface enamel in the most severe cases of human fluorosis results in a highly varying uptake of mineral into the exposed subsurface hypomineralized lesions. The uptake varies greatly within apparently similar degrees of hypomineralized lesions. In approximal abrasion facets, however, where the subsurface lesions are also exposed, no evidence of mineral uptake was found. At the ultrastructural level, the well-mineralized surface zone consists of large hexagonal enamel crystals separated by rather large intercrystalline spaces in which numerous irregular small crystals are observed. Moreover, the large crystals may exhibit central and peripheral dissolution. In addition, mineral appeared to be deposited into such defects as well as along the side of the crystals, often with the lattices being continuous from the original crystal into the apparently posteruptive formed crystal material. It is concluded that a substantial mineral uptake can take place in exposed porous hypomineralized fluorotic enamel after eruption, but is most likely to be associated with the presence of microbial deposits, the metabolic activity of which may play a keyrole in mineral exchange.