The cadmium, zinc and lead content of deciduous teeth from two different geographic areas in Japan

Abstract

It has been suggested that deciduous teeth could be useful material for the analysis of the minerals available to the human body during the time the teeth are formed. In this study, an attempt was made to define the variation in the cadmium, zinc and lead content of the various types of deciduous teeth collected from two dif- ferent areas (Tokyo and Toyama city) in Japan. It was also of interest to determine the effect of breast feeding versus bottle feeding.Therefore the pooled teeth were classified as to the residence area, the type of teeth and the length of time the child was fed by breast or bottle. The cadmium, zinc and lead values of teeth were obtained by analyzing 795 deciduous teeth by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. Calcium determinations were made according to the ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) titration method.The results obtained are summarized below.(1) While the distribution patterns of calcium and cadmium were slightly logarithmic-normal, those of zinc and lead were shown to be normal.(2) There were no appreciable differences in the mean concentrations of the three metals between Tokya and Toyama city, and no significant differences were found between the kinds of diet(3) In comparisions between various types of teeth, the mean concentrations of three metals were found to be low in the following descending order: incisors, cuspids, and molars.