title: Characterization of dental interfaces with electron tomography.
abstract: Understanding the interface between dental materials and tooth is critical in the prevention of secondary caries. Assessing this interface with high-resolution clarity has traditionally been challenging. This work highlights electron tomography, carried out in the transmission electron microscope, as a novel technique to obtain both three-dimensional and nanometer scaled information on dental materials in contact with dentin. In this study, commercial calcium aluminate and glass ionomer based luting agents in contact with human dentin were prepared for electron microscopy via focused ion beam milling. Imaging with high-angle annular dark field provided compositional contrast, and combined with tilting over large angular ranges, enabled the reconstruction of the three-dimensional interface between tissue and cement. The characteristics of the interface were observed with this extra dimensionality and superior resolution, providing evidence for the viability of this technique in interfacial studies of dental materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grandfield
authors.affiliation: Applied Materials Science, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, Box 534, 751 21, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Engqvist
mesh_terms: D017607:Aluminum Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D017610:Calcium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D003738:Dental Cements / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D003804:Dentin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D003738:Dental Cements; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements; C035219:calcium aluminate