Trace metal analysis in human tooth enamel and dentine using EDXRF spectrometry

EDXRF spectrometry is used normally to determine the concentration of the different elements in a sample with advantages of good sensitivity, multielemental capabilities, fast, non-destructive and because of this simple relation to the fundamental physics of atom-radiation interaction, make of EDXRF a highly attractive analytical technique.The aim of this work is to investigate the correlation between the tooth elemental concentration (enamel and dentine) and environmental condition, sex and dietary effects on the biological age using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (Millipore pixels of 1 mm2).The experimental set-up is based on miniaturized x ray tube of the low power (2.25 W and tungsten anode) and a Si-Li detector with an energy resolution of about 180 eV at 5.9 keV. The teeth were longitudinally cut and each slice was scanned from the inner region to the surface enamel for elemental profiles determination purposes. Both major constituents of the teeth and trace elements could be identified and partially quantified, including Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Sr. These results can be useful in dental clinic because teeth are a part of the skeleton, their trace element content should be an indicator of that in the other calcified tissues