Replica Studies of Changes in Tooth Surfaces with Age

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Abstract
The changes in tooth surfaces which occur with advancing age have been studied by optical microscopy of metal-shadowed collodion replicas. Replicas (1239) were classified according to the age of the individuals (287) from whom the teeth (639) were extracted. The standard of comparison for visible details was the unerupted or recently erupted tooth-surface. The surfaces of young teeth are completely covered with pronounced patterns of enamel rod-ends and perikymata, and show cracks and stratification. With advancing age rod-ends and perikymata gradually disappear, at rates dependent upon the location of the surface on the tooth and the tooth in the mouth. The number and appearance of the cracks remain constant; stratification disappears rapidly. Photomicrographs and tabular data illustrate these changes. Consideration is also given to the apparent persistence of enamel cuticle in some areas for long periods of time, and to the structural similarity between surfaces of non-carious teeth, non-carious surfaces of carious teeth, and the intact portions of carious surfaces.