Figure 2. Overview of tooth-matrix biomarkers applied in this study.

(a) Plane in which teeth were sectioned. (b) Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. The surface of dentine was ablated using a laser and the ejected material transferred to a mass spectrometer. Neonatal line and other histological features are used to select sampling locations adjacent to the dentine-enamel interface extending from the dentine horn to the tooth cervix (dashed black line). (c) Output data where developmental timing is assigned to elemental profiles in each sample, reconstructing the history of elemental uptake over the prenatal and early childhood periods. The illustrations were created by Jill K Gregory from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.