Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group
  • Applied Spectroscopy
  • Vol. 64,
  • Issue 3,
  • pp. 313-319
  • (2010)

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Microanalysis of Trace Elements in Homo sapiens Teeth

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

Two of the main items from which to retrieve data in anthropology are teeth and bones. Identification of trace elements in their composition allows valuable information to be obtained about alimentary habits and community life conditions of groups and individuals. Conventional methods used to determine the presence of trace elements require sample preparation, with partial or total destruction of the pieces, which in most cases are unique. In this work we show the possibilities of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a nearly nondestructive tool in anthropology and paleontology for the measurement of the presence and distribution of trace elements in teeth. We applied LIBS to the determination of strontium and magnesium in dentin and enamel of Neolithic, middle age, and modern <i>Homo sapiens</i> teeth. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca distribution maps of dentin and enamel in modern teeth were created using the data obtained. Ablation threshold fluences of dentin and enamel were also measured using the photoacoustic signal induced by laser ablation. Significant variations were found in the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in the tooth dental tissue and between the teeth of the groups and individuals studied. These results can be useful for evolutionary anthropology studies as they can provide information regarding early nutrition, seasonality, and residential mobility.

PDF Article
More Like This
Multielemental analysis of prehistoric animal teeth by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Michaela Galiová, Jozef Kaiser, Francisco J. Fortes, Karel Novotný, Radomír Malina, Lubomír Prokeš, Aleš Hrdlička, Tomáš Vaculovič, Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Jiří Svoboda, Viktor Kanický, and Javier J. Laserna
Appl. Opt. 49(13) C191-C199 (2010)

Discrimination of healthy and carious teeth using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and partial least square discriminant analysis

Meisam Gazmeh, Maryam Bahreini, and Seyed Hassan Tavassoli
Appl. Opt. 54(1) 123-131 (2015)

Detection of toxic elements using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in smokers’ and nonsmokers’ teeth and investigation of periodontal parameters

Abdul M. Alhasmi, Mohammed A. Gondal, Mohamed M. Nasr, Sami Shafik, and Yusuf B. Habibullah
Appl. Opt. 54(24) 7342-7349 (2015)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved