Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 3, 2026
Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples
Published on: June 19, 2018
Synchrotron X-ray diffraction to understand crystallographic texture of enamel affected by Hunter syndrome
Malik Arshman Khan1, Owen Addison2, Alison James3
1Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
Objective:
To determine whether Hunter syndrome (MPS II) affects the crystallographic texture (preferred orientation) of enamel.
Design:
Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, being a state of the art technique, has been used to determine the enamel crystallite orientation in enamel affected by Hunter syndrome (MPS II). The incisal, lingual and cervical regions of the MPS II affected tooth were observed and compared to healthy tooth.
Results:
It was observed that there is a loss of organization of crystallites in deciduous incisal enamel affected by Hunter syndrome (MPS II) as compared to healthy deciduous enamel tissue. Generally it was observed that, in contrast to the healthy enamel, the enamel affected by MPS II possessed a lower crystallographic preferred orientation, with a more uniform spatial distribution; however, the enamel at the incisal tip was relatively unaffected.
Conclusion:
Hunter syndrome affects the enamel texture in the lingual and cervical regions of the tooth.
Related Concept Videos
01:10X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal...
02:18X-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...
01:29Determination of Crystal Structures