Ion-thinned longitudinal sections of a third molar were observed by bright- and dark-field electron microscopy. In bright field, the hydroxyapatite crystallites in enamel appeared as long rods, but, when observed in dark field, the crystallites were rectangular, with a mean length of 321 A.
Scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to observe the effects of various treatments on human enamel surfaces. A two-stage model, ie, one stage concerned with the initiation of attack and another stage to describe the directionality of the spread of attack, is presented to explain the effects of the various demineralization treatments.
A scanning and transmission electron microscope study has shown that human enamel specimens treated with a mild detergent solution exhibit etching of the enamel surface. The tooth surfaces subsequently show a greater susceptibility to the acid attack than samples treated with mineral acid alone. The evidence suggests that reevaluation of sodium dodecyl sulfate and similar detergents as components of commercially available dentifrice products may be necessary.
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