Cemental annulation enhancement: a technique for age determination in man.

Cemental annulations are easily countable in teeth from animals that have an exaggerated regular change of food intake from season to season. Although present in human teeth, cemental annulations are not always easy to count. A method for preparing human teeth for evaluation involving collection, identification, measuring, sectioning, cleaning, acid etching, staining, and mounting is reported. Sections 100-microns thick were stained with cresyl fast violet as a stain of choice and were photographed using standard light microscopic techniques as well as Nomarsky interference microscopy. Countability of annulations from photographic enlargements was evaluated.