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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Dent Res. 2010 Jan 28;89(3):230–235. doi: 10.1177/0022034509357172

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Transmission electron micrographs (TEMs) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) taken from unstained, non-demineralized sections of glass-ionomer-cement (GIC)-dentin interfaces. (A) A 24-hour baseline specimen that had not been immersed in any of the 3 remineralization media. A layer of apatite-depleted, completely demineralized dentin was produced by 60 sec of phosphoric-acid-etching. Desiccation artifacts could be seen within the GIC. (B) Low-magnification view of a representative specimen that had been immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) devoid of biomimetic analogs for 4 mos. The GIC formed tags (pointer) within the dentinal tubules. A zone of demineralized dentin containing electron-dense grains (Ed) was seen above the mineralized dentin base (asterisk). (C) A representative specimen that had been immersed in a polyvinylphosphonic acid (PVPA)-containing SBF for 4 mos. A basal Ed zone (asterisk) could be seen adjacent to the mineralized dentin base. (D) A representative specimen that had been immersed in a polyacrylic-acid- and PVPA-containing SBF for 4 mos. The epoxy-resin-embedded GIC dislodged during sectioning, leaving a space (S) on top of the GIC remnants. Sectioning artifacts could be observed within the GIC glass particles. The Ed appeared diffuse throughout the demineralized dentin, although they were more concentrated around the periphery of dentinal tubules (asterisk). (E) A SAED pattern that is representative of the Ed-containing demineralized dentin. The diffuse electron diffraction pattern was indicative of the absence of crystalline phases within the demineralized dentin. (F) SAED collected from the mineralized dentin base revealed discrete rings indicative of the polycrystalline nature of the mineral phases. The indices confirmed the presence of apatites within the naturally mineralized dentin. Generic abbreviations: Ep, epoxy resin; G, GIC; Dd, demineralized dentin; Md, mineralized dentin.