Leiva-Sabadini C, Schuh CM, Barrera NP, Aguayo S. Ultrastructural characterisation of young and aged dental enamel by atomic force microscopy.
J Microsc 2022;
288:185-192. [PMID:
35621144 DOI:
10.1111/jmi.13126]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in atomic force microscopy (AFM) have allowed the characterisation of dental-associated biomaterials and biological surfaces with high-resolution. In this context, the topography of dental enamel - the hardest mineralised tissue in the body - has been explored with AFM-based approaches at the micro-scale. With age, teeth are known to suffer changes that can impact their structural stability and function; however, changes in enamel structure because of ageing have not yet been explored with nanoscale resolution. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory work was to optimise an approach to characterise the ultrastructure of dental enamel and determine potential differences in topography, hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal size, and surface roughness at the nanoscale associated to ageing. For this, a total of six teeth were collected from human donors from which enamel specimens were prepared. By employing intermittent contact (AC mode) imaging, HA crystals were characterised in both transversal and longitudinal orientation (respect to surface plane) with high-resolution in environmental conditions. The external enamel surface displayed the presence of a pellicle-like coating on its surface, that was not observable on cleaned specimens. Acid-etching exposed crystals that were imaged and morphologically characterised in high-resolution at the nanoscale in both the external and internal regions of enamel in older and younger specimens. Our results demonstrated important individual variations in HA crystal width and roughness parameters across the analysed specimens; however, an increase in surface roughness and decrease in HA width was observed for the pooled older external enamel group compared to younger specimens. Overall, high-resolution AFM was an effective approach for the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of human dental enamel ultrastructure. Future work should focus on exploring the ageing of dental enamel with increased sample sizes to compensate for individual differences as well as other potential confounding factors such as behavioural habits and mechanical forces. Lay abstract: Currently, advanced microscopy techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to characterise surfaces relevant to dentistry with great detail. Among these surfaces of interest, dental enamel - the hardest mineralised tissue in the body- is important as it protects the deeper areas of the tooth from harmful stimuli such as sudden temperature changes, bacterial penetration, and chemical attack. Also, dental enamel is an important surface for the adhesion of some types of dental restorations; thus, its structure and organisation is highly relevant for both dental scientists and clinicians. With age, teeth are known to suffer changes that can impact their structural stability and function; however, changes in enamel structure as a result of ageing have not yet been explored with nanoscale resolution. It is necessary to develop and optimise AFM-based techniques in order to process specimens from dental samples across different age groups for ageing-associated nanoscale studies in the future. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to optimise an approach to characterise the ultrastructure of dental enamel and determine potential differences in enamel topography, hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal size, and surface roughness at the nanoscale associated to ageing. For this, human enamel specimens obtained from a total of six teeth were collected and analysed with AFM, and HA crystals were characterised in both transversal and longitudinal orientation with high-resolution in environmental conditions. Upon AFM observation, sound superficial enamel displayed the presence of a pellicle-like coating on its surface, that was not observable after specimens were cleaned. Furthermore, acid-etching exposed HA crystals that were imaged and morphologically characterised in high-resolution at the nanoscale across different regions of enamel in older and younger specimens. We observed important individual variations in HA crystal width and roughness parameters across the analysed specimens and groups, suggesting individual as well as age-associated differences. Overall, high-resolution AFM was an effective approach for the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of human dental enamel ultrastructure at the nanometer range with minimal sample preparation. This proof-of-concept work can pave the way for future studies employing increased sample sizes to compensate for individual differences and population level factors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse