Fluorine in Dentin and Enamel of Sound and Carious Human Teeth

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Abstract
The fluorine content of human dentin and enamel was studied by the analyses of teeth obtained from 33 individuals (studied separately) and from 2 groups of 14 and 44 individuals each. The crowns of 262 sound and 248 carious teeth were separated into dentin and enamel and a little over 600 fluorine detns. made on pooled or individual dentin and enamel samples. None of the teeth showed macroscopic fluorosis and, with the exception of the group of 44 individuals, there was no reason to suspect any unusual fluoride exposure. The ash in enamel averaged 95.8%; in dentin, 79.8%; and no differences were apparent between sound and carious teeth. The F in enamel averaged 0.0100% and in dentin 0.0233%, and the differences between the enamel and the dentin of sound and carious teeth were not significant. Fluorine in the ash of enamel averaged 0.0104% and in the ash of dentin, 0.0292%. Differences between results for sound and carious teeth were not significant. A study of the teeth according to anatomic or functional type also did not reveal any significant differences in F content. An evaluation of the analytic data at present suggests that F data for the individual teeth of a single dentition cannot be expected, as a general rule, to show consistently less F in the enamel of the carious teeth than in the enamel of the sound teeth. In some individuals, F in the enamel of the sound teeth alone may differ as much as the F in enamel of sound versus carious teeth. There is reason to believe that an unusual dietary (particularly waterfluoride) exposure during formative tooth life may increase the F content of the entire dentition, including both dentin and enamel. An increase in F in all the teeth may then account for an over-all reduction in the dental caries experience. Under this circumstance it may be said that an optimum quantity of F in the dentin and the enamel of the entire dentition is associated with a reduced incidence of dental caries. At the present time, data are not available to demonstrate this later hypothesis, but such an investigation is under way.