Abstract
Establishing the mineral content distribution in highly mineralized tissues, such as bones and teeth, is fundamental in understanding a variety of structural questions ranging from studies of the mechanical properties to improved pathological investigations. However, non-destructive, volumetric and quantitative density measurements of mineralized samples, some of which may extend several mm in size, remain challenging. Here, we demonstrate the potential of grating-based x-ray phase tomography to gain insight into the three-dimensional mass density distribution of tooth tissues in a non-destructive way and with a sensitivity of 85 mg/cm3. Density gradients of 13 − 19% over 1 − 2 mm within typical samples are detected, and local variations in density of 0.4 g/cm3 on a length scale of 0.1 mm are revealed. This method proves to be an excellent quantitative tool for investigations of subtle differences in mineral content of mineralized tissues that can change following treatment or during ageing and healing.
Highlights
Mineralized tissues, such as teeth and bones, underwent natural selection during millions of years of evolution, they are very well adapted to match their specific mechanical-biological function
The vertical red lines in the 2D histograms are formed by water and dentine
The sensitivity of the phase and absorption measurements is estimated to be the full width at half maximum of the water peak, which is 0.38 cm−1 for the absorption volume and 85 mg/cm3 for the mass density derived from the phase volume
Summary
Mineralized tissues, such as teeth and bones, underwent natural selection during millions of years of evolution, they are very well adapted to match their specific mechanical-biological function. Typically they perform better than any implants and are more durable. Because of their complicated, hierarchical organization, these tissues and the dynamics of mineral content change are far from being completely understood. Bone and dentine in teeth tissues contain a matrix of mineralized collagen fibers. Teeth consist of three mineralized tissues known as enamel, dentine, and cementum. The dentine matrix forms the bulk of the tooth and is composed of 45 − 50 vol%
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