In vitro diagenesis of teeth of Sus scrofa (Mammalia, Suidae): Micro- and nanostructural alterations and experimental dissolution

Molars and premolars of Sus scrofa were extracted and crushed to expose fresh surfaces of enamel and dentine. Fragments of teeth were placed in a soluble humus extract for 2 months. Soil composition was analysed by ion-exchange chromatography and ICP-OES. Micro- and nanostructural changes of the fresh and etched dentine and enamel were observed with scanning electron and atomic force microscopes. Extracts of soils contained dissolved organic compounds (oxalic and acetic acids and humic compounds), ) with the sugar content being low. The comparison of micro- and nanostructures of fresh and etched teeth shows no secondary deposits on the etched teeth. The microstructures of enamel and dentine are preserved, but they are smoothed. Enamel crystallites of etched teeth are very clean with well-defined outlines. Two dissolution steps are observed for P and Ca. An unexpected result is that enamel is etched in a short time. However, the etching effects of the individual components present in the soil are not known. Thus, interpreting the obtained data in a multi-component solution such as soil extracts is not easy.