Micro-computed tomography of a 500-year-old tooth: technical note.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) could be used to reconstruct ancient dental anatomy accurately and differentiate the enamel from the dentin, as well as to verify whether micro-CT could detect tooth disorders such as attrition or caries accurately. METHODS Micro-CT imaging was performed, using a cone-beam micro-CT specimen scanner, on a 500-year-old human tooth found in a burial jar in the Cardomom Mountains in southwestern Cambodia. RESULTS The occlusal surface of the tooth showed marked attrition, with the dentin extending close to the enamel layer on the crown. In addition to this, micro-CT images depicted calculus on the buccal surface and a cervical root caries lesion present on the distal surface. The sclerotic zone of the carious lesion (located deep in the destroyed dentin) and the dentin were effectively differentiated through excellent resolution and superior tissue contrast of the volume data set. Axial slices from apical to coronal show the carious lesion extending vertically along the dentin-enamel junction with an intact outer enamel surface. CONCLUSION Micro-CT is a reproducible, nondestructive and highly accurate technique that can be successfully applied to the study of ancient teeth.