Site specific mineral composition and microstructure of human supra-gingival dental calculus

Dental calculus has been implicated in the aetiology of several periodontal conditions. Its prevention and removal are therefore desirable clinical goals. While it is known that calculus is very variable in chemical composition, crystallinity and crystallite size little is known about site specific variability within a dentition and between individuals. With this in mind, a study was undertaken to investigate the comparative site specific nature and composition of human dental supra-gingival dental calculus obtained from 66 male patients visiting for their dental check-up using fluorescent X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The supra-gingival dental calculus formed on the lingual surfaces of lower anterior teeth and the buccal surfaces of upper molar teeth were classified into four types based on calcium phosphate phases present. There was significant difference in composition of the crystal phase types between lower and upper teeth (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in crystal size between dental calculus on anterior or molar teeth of all samples. The degree of crystallinity of dental calculus formed on the upper molar teeth was higher than that formed on the lower anterior teeth (p<0.01). The CO(3)(2-) contents in dental calculus formed on the lower anterior teeth were higher than on upper molar teeth (p<0.05) which might explain the difference in crystallinity. Magnesium and Si contents and Ca:P ratio on the other hand showed no significant difference between lower and upper teeth. It was concluded that the crystal phases, crystallinity and CO(3)(2-) contents of human dental supra-gingival dental calculus is related to its location in the mouth.