Chemical Characterization of Archaeological Pulp Stones from 18th–19th Century Radom, Poland: A Pilot Study

Jacek Tomczyk; Piotr Regulski; Katarzyna Góralczyk; Grzegorz Tylko

doi:10.18778/1898-6773.88.2.02

Authors

Jacek Tomczyk Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0605-665X
Piotr Regulski Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3692-3582
Katarzyna Góralczyk Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9839-2449
Grzegorz Tylko Department of Cell Biology and Imaging, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6669-0142

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1898-6773.88.2.02

Keywords:

pulp stones, calcium, phosphorus, mineralization

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) contents of pulp stones in a historical population (18^th–19^th centuries) from Radom, Poland. Ten molars from adults from the Radom cemetery (18^th–19^th centuries) were used in the study. The crowns of the teeth were mechanically opened, and visible pulp stones were examined with a scanning electron microscope equipped with a Si(Li) energy dispersive detector (energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry detector, which uses a lithium (Li)- doped silicon (Si) single-crystal semiconductor as a detector element). Enamel presented higher values of Ca/P ratio compared with the dentine and/or pulp stones. Moreover, in one case, the external layer of the pulp stone had significantly lower Ca and P contents compared with the internal layer (Ca: 13.97±0.31 vs. 34.2±0.37 [wt%]; P: 6.13±0.21 vs. 16.5±0.34 [wt%]). Evaluation of the Ca and P composition of the analyzed enamel and dentine in the Radom samples from the 18^th–19^th centuries produced findings that are consistent with studies conducted on teeth from contemporary populations. In the case of one individual, two chemically distinct layers were diagnosed in the pulp stone. It is difficult to interpret this finding based on a single case, but it may be due to the fact that the outer layer is characterized by higher organic structure.

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