Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Quasistatic Mechanical Testing for Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing Occlusal Veneers Cemented to Milled Dentin Analog Material
Published on: December 20, 2024
Ultrastructural observations and growth of occluding crystals in carious dentine
Alexander V Zavgorodniy1, Ramin Rohanizadeh, Shaun Bulcock
1Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructural mechanisms involved in the formation of caries-induced intratubular dentine. Conventional, high resolution and scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques were used to study the ultrastructure of the inorganic phase in the transparent zone of carious dentine. The results demonstrated that the bulk of the inorganic phase in caries-induced intratubular dentine had an apatite crystal structure with the presence of additional Mg-substituted beta-TCP (beta-tricalcium phosphate) phase in the carious region. Highly oriented apatite crystallites observed in intratubular dentine demonstrated a regulated biomineralization process during the formation of inorganic phase in this region, whereas Mg beta-TCP crystals were presumably formed purely via "dissolution/precipitation" mechanism. The study demonstrated the importance of "dissolution/precipitation" process and the growth kinetics of Mg-substituted beta-TCP crystals in understanding the process of formation of calcium-phosphate crystallites in carious intratubular dentine.
Related Concept Videos
Determination of Crystal Structures
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...

