Mechanism of Acid Attack in Human Enamel as Determined by Electron Optical Instrumentation Analysis

Abstract

Extraction replicas of human enamel were prepared directly from acid-etched tooth surfaces. Sequential examinations by electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis revealed that the extracted particles were pieces of rod core material. The findings indicated that the mechanism of acid attack was primarily a penetration through the interface between the rod core and rod sheath.