Scientists Reveal 3-D Atomic Model of a Tooth
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, JANUARY 26, 2011
A new atomic model of a tooth has revealed some of the intricacies of mineralized tissue, which researchers at Northwestern University say could aid in the design of new materials.
The paper, published in Nature, used atom-probe tomography to investigate the tooth of a chiton, a sea creature with teeth strong enough to chew rock. APT technology allowed the Northwestern scientists to produce unprecedented 3-D images of the tooth that showed a mix of organic and inorganic surfaces. Specifically, the researchers found sodium and magnesium ions in the carbon-based magnetite outer layer of the tooth, marking the first identification of the location, dimension and chemical composition of organic fibers inside the mineral.
Science Daily quoted Derk Joester, one of the paper's authors, as saying, "We need to understand this architecture on the nanoscale level to design new materials intelligently." The article adds that this kind of model can also help track fluoride in teeth and cancer and osteoporosis drugs in bone.
