Abstract
To make a biophysical standard for histological identification of fish teeth, fluorescence and Raman-spectra are employed for typical teeth of various fish, such as the sea-bream, shark, trout, and hagfish in comparison with human teeth. The tooth tissues of sea-bream, mainly containing hydroxyapatite, resemble those of human teeth. In the teeth of the trout and hagfish, no difference can be found between the surface and deep layers and they appear like decalcified human cement. Shark teeth, rich in fluoroapatite, are much different from both human enamel and dentin. According to the similarity of Raman-band patterns, it is possible to arrange them in order from trout to sea-bream through the human enamel and finally to the shark. These suggest that the structural characteristics off teeth in the fish kingdom do not coincide with differentiation of human tooth tissues.
