Abstract
Quantitative X-ray fluorescence imaging of sections of human teeth revealed an increased concentration of copper and zinc in carious regions of dentine compared with unaffected portions of the tooth. Higher-resolution images provided strong evidence that the copper was transported and localized mainly in the dentinal tubules. While similar levels of zinc were found in these areas and concentrated in the tubules, zinc was also more evident in the hydroxyapatite, and the increase in zinc levels compared with the levels in background (normal) areas was less than that for copper. These results suggest a role for copper and zinc in the formation and progression of dental caries and present a potential point of intervention for treatment.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for financial support for this work that was provided by Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grants (DP0346162 and DP0664706), including an Australian Professorial Fellowship (to P.A.L.), the Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP) grant for the access to the APS (P.A.L. and H.H.H), an ASRP Research Fellowship (to H.H.H.), and an Industry Synchrotron Access Program Grant from the Department of State and Regional Development of the Victorian State Government (H.E. and P.A.L.). ASRP is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia under the Major National Research Facilities Program. The use of APS facilities was supported by the US Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, under contract no. W-31-109-Eng-38. We would like to thank Cathy Harland and Daniel Legnini for assistance with beamline setup and data collection.
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Dedicated to the memory of the late Harold Eastgate.
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Harris, H.H., Vogt, S., Eastgate, H. et al. A link between copper and dental caries in human teeth identified by X-ray fluorescence elemental mapping. J Biol Inorg Chem 13, 303–306 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-007-0321-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-007-0321-z