The vulnerability of unexposed human dental roots to demineralization.

Crowns and roots of human molars, the roots from which had not been exposed to the oral environment, were exposed for 0, 3.5, 7, and 14 days to buffer solutions which were undersaturated or supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite. Densitometric measurements on contact-microradiograms of transverse sections of the crowns and of the cervical parts of the roots yielded plots of the mineral content as a function of the distance to the outer surface. From these plots, the rate of demineralization was calculated. It was found that the mineral of the roots dissolved even in buffer solutions which were supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite. Comparison of the results obtained from the crowns with those from the roots showed that the root hard tissues were more vulnerable to demineralization than was the dental enamel.