SEM and microradiographic investigation of initial enamel caries

In this paper a combined microradiography and SEM study is presented on human enamel after a caries attack in vivo for a 4-wk period. The initial enamel caries is induced under a specially designed orthodontic band; plaque accumulation takes place under a niche in the band. The microradiography and SEM were done on the same sections. A special manipulation and breaking technique of the thin sections makes it possible to observe with the SEM, demineralized enamel areas with a mineral content known from microradiography. The results show that with a mineral content of about 50 vol. %, the observable porosity is noticeable at the prism level (interprismatically) but barely noticeable at the cyrstallite level. The surface morphology of the demineralized enamel is at low magnifications not very different from sound enamel. At high magnifications, however, the surface porosity becomes visible. The results indicate that the mineral in vivo losses in enamel after an initial caries attack can be explained mainly by mineral losses from interprismatic areas and from the prism peripheries.