Mineral Density of Coronal and Radicular Dentin

Surprisingly little is known about how the structure and composition of tooth dentin varies between different areas of the tooth. This study was to investigate and compare the mineral density of coronal and radicular dentin using ten bovine incisor teeth. The mineral density of coronal and radicular dentin was quantifi ed at two locations per tooth using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The coronal area was 15.0 mm coronal to the cemento-enamel junction on the buccal side of the tooth, while the radicular area was 5.0 mm apical to the cemento-enamel junction, also on the buccal side. Mean mineral density value was compared statistically by the paired Student's t-test. The mineral density of coronal dentin was 1,628.8±34.0 mg/cm3, and that of radicular dentin was 1,406.1±38.7 mg/cm3, suggesting that the dentin mineral density is higher in the crown than in the root. Micro-CT intensity data is a useful method for quantitating dentin mineral density.