Abstract
Although accumulated data on the clinical and fundamental studies of salivary calculi have been reported, their analytical works from both viewpoints of either ultrastructural findings or chemical composition have been rarely performed.
In this study, the ultrastructural characteristics of the cracked surface of salivary calculi, renal calculi and gall stones were observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and concurrently the relative amounts of ionic distributions were measured by using X-ray microanalyzer attached to SEM.
All salivary calculi were composed from concentric laminated structures surroundings a single spheloid central core. SEM findings of the central core showed rough small grained configurations. On the other hand, in a high magnification of SEM micrograph it was found that an individual laminated structure was consisted of thorn-like cristals in relatively regular arrangement and was different from each thickness. These structural appearances may be indicated certain process of growth pattern of salivary calculi, and further, non-structural layers between crystalized layers were seen.
Predominant peaks of P, Ca, O, C, Mg, Na, Cl levels were detected by EDX and WDX analysis of ion contents. From the results of three dimentional architectures and chemical composition, the more striking similarities between salivary calculi and urinary ones rather than gall stones could be seen in our studies.
