Study of enamel rod morphology, organic content and microelement in the neonatal line of human primary enamel

• Grant number: 17/12857-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: July 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Pediatric Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Fernanda Gerlach
• Grantee: Jonas Tostes de Figueiredo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto (FORP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims at studying the morphology and chemical composition of the neonatal line that is seen in primary human teeth. This line is important in medicine, dentistry, forensics, antropology, paleontology, archaeology and even sociology. Materials and Methods: Twenty teeth will be used. They will be cleaned and washed in hypochlorine, being thereafter sectioned longitudinally into 2 pieces. One will be used for SEM analyses, including BSE-SEM, SEM-EDS and SEM-WDS. The other piece will be cut with a diamond disc and polished using sand paper. The detection of chemical elements will be performed using SEM-EDS and the Aztec software, that constructs element maps, with their quantities. Expected results: we expect that reliable information will be gained about the distribution of microelements in the region of the neonatal line, as well as information on the morphology of the rods, and the organic composition in the region of the neonatal line. The results of this study will not only be important for dentistry, but also for other fields, since it may help understand facts related to the early life of an individual. (AU)