A total of 245 newly shed deciduous incisors were obtained from 114 first-grade children who each contributed more than one tooth. Lead concentrations averaged about fivefold higher in circumpulpal dentin than in the whole tooth, but the two parameters showed little correlation. A considerable intraindividual variation in lead levels was partly related to tooth type. In particular, whole upper central incisors contained more lead than did other incisors, but the reverse applied to circumpulpal dentin lead concentration. As whole-tooth and circumpulpal lead concentrations may represent different compartments, tooth lead analyses must be interpreted accordingly. Lead levels in circumpulpal dentin would appear to be a meaningful indicator of long-term lead retention in population studies of children.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.