Life Sciences Commons^™

A Review Of Dental Microwear And Diet In Modern Mammals, Mark F. Teaford

Scanning Microscopy

Recent work has shown that microscopic wear patterns on teeth may yield insights into variations in diet and tooth use in modern and prehistoric mammals. This paper presents a review of dental microwear and diet in modern mammals, plus a discussion of topics for further research. To date, incisor and molar microwear have been examined, although there are far fewer studies of the former. Facilitated by the use of high-resolution casts and scanning electron microscopy, analyses have ranged from: qualitative to quantitative, low magnification to high magnification, and experimental studies to comparative studies of museum collections. Results are encouraging and …

Tandem Scanning Reflected Light Microscopy: Applications In Clinical Dental Research, Timothy F. Watson, Alan Boyde

Scanning Microscopy

The Tandem Scanning Reflected Light Microscope (TSRLM) enables the investigation of microscopic structures both at and deep to the surface of intact objects. The present paper reviews studies undertaken to determine whether the TSRLM would be usable and useful in the investigation of natural and restorative dental materials in vitro and in vivo.

It was found that the TSRLM could be used to study normal and diseased dental tissues and the new materials which are used to replace lost substance. More importantly, it could be used to characterize the interface between tooth and optically translucent materials in bulk samples, giving …

Tandem Scanning Reflected Light Microscopy Of Primate Enamel, Alan Boyde, Lawrence Martin

Scanning Microscopy

Studies of the cross sectional packing arrangements of primate enamel prisms have been used in a number of recent studies in attempts to determine their taxonomic utility. Credibility of the results has been greatly influenced by the methods employed to examine enamel prism packing patterns and also by the limited sampling. We report here the use of a technique for the non destructive examination, in depth, of enamel prism packing patterns in modern and fossil primate teeth which has considerable advantages over any others so far used, and the preliminary results of a survey of enamel structural diversity in the …

Scanning Microscopic Observations On Dental Caries, Sheila J. Jones, Alan Boyde

Scanning Microscopy

This paper presents findings made using special techniques of imaging and/or of specimen preparation to investigate the changes in tooth structure which occur in caries. We have studied both coronal and root caries in enamel, dentine and cementum using scanning electron and confocal scanning optical microscopy.

In preparation for backscattered electron (BSE) imaging in the SEM, teeth were stored in 70% ethanol until further dehydration in ethanol and embedding in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Longitudinally cut surfaces were diamond polished and coated with carbon or silver before BSE imaging. Important changes in the distribution of densities in both enamel and dentine occurred …

External Shape Of Enamel Crystals, H. Warshawsky

Scanning Microscopy

Biological hydroxyapatite crystals are either small, as in bone and dentin, or large as in enamel. Enamel crystallites are unique since each is initiated and grows in length, thickness and width until the entire layer of enamel is secreted. In maturation, these extremely long crystallites grow only in thickness and width. Crystal growth in vitro follows physico-chemical principles, but lacks biological intelligence; in vivo this intelligence is contributed by protein templates. The location of the organic template in enamel is congruent with the crystallite, constituting the crystal ghost. Since crystals cannot accommodate proteins, the explanation is logically inconsistent. In sections, …