Abstract
Analysis of human tooth enamel using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) provides a basis for systematic evaluation of variation in the chemical composition of enamel in relation to tooth crown geometry. Analysis of thin sections allows a sampling strategy that can be cross-referenced to incremental growth structures in tooth enamel. Strontium and calcium are incorporated into developing teeth in a manner that reflects changing physiological concentrations in the body. Strontium/calcium (Sr/Ca) ratios are expected to decease at birth in breastfed infants, because the mammary gland exerts a greater activating effect on calcium transfer than the placenta. However, Sr/Ca ratios should increase at birth in infants fed on a formula derived from cow’s milk. Changes in Sr/Ca ratios across the neonatal line in five out of six deciduous teeth from children of known mode of feeding within the first few months after birth conform to the predicted direction of change, indicating that changes in physiological concentrations of strontium and calcium resulting from a dietary shift during the secretory stage of enamel formation may not be completely overwhelmed during enamel maturation. Implications for the reconstruction of longitudinal records of infant diet from tooth enamel are discussed.
Keywords
- enamel
- trace element
- intra-tooth analysis
- strontium
- calcium
- neonatal line
- birth
- dietary reconstruction
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Humphrey, L., Dean, M., Jeffries, T. (2007). An evaluation of changes in strontium/calcium ratios across the neonatal line in human deciduous teeth. In: Bailey, S.E., Hublin, JJ. (eds) Dental Perspectives on Human Evolution: State of the Art Research in Dental Paleoanthropology. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5845-5_21
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