Abstract
A new method for analyzing the fluoride content of the surface layer of human enamel was devised and used in a comparative study, along with methods which have hitherto been reported. The results obtained showed a high correlation between the decalcified depth (X) and the cumulative amount of fluoride in the region from the enamel surface (Y) to the deeper layers, as expressed by the regression power curve (Y=aXb).
Furthermore, it was confirmed that the cumulative amount of fluoride from the enamel surface as calculated from this graph was of a value extremely close to the determined value and it was thus possible to obtain better results than in the cases where other methods were used, irrespective of the amount of fluoride contained in the enamel. The regression power curve thus produced was then differentiated by any depth (X) and the result divided by the surface area (mm2) ×2.95×10-6 to obtain the estimated fluoride concentration of the enamel at anydepth. Consequently, it was suggested that this would provide an extremely effective and expedient method for determining the distribution of fluoride concentration in human enamel in the future.
