DENSITY AND REFRACTIVE INDEX STUDIES OF DENTAL HARD TISSUES

III. DENSITY DISTRIBUTION OF DECIDUOUS ENAMEL AND DENTIN

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

1. The density distribution curves of dry deciduous enamel and dentin were investigated for both sound and carious teeth by a centrifugal flotation method.

2. Eighty-seven per cent of dry carious deciduous enamel and 81 per cent of dry sound deciduous enamel have a density between 2.86 and 2.98.

3. Dry deciduous enamel has only one maximum (2.94-2.96) in its density distribution curves.

4. Eighty per cent of both sound and carious dry deciduous dentin has a density between 2.10 and 2.26. The maxima in the distribution curves occur at 2.15-2.18.

5. In many respects, the density distributions of dry deciduous enamel and dentin are similar to those of the permanent tissues.