Human teeth elemental profiles measured by synchrotron x-ray fluorescence:dietary habits and environmental influence

This paper reports on the measurements of elemental profiles in teeth colle cted from two different populations, both living in isolated Portuguese isl ands of the Azores: S. Miguel and Terceira. Both populations are good produ cers of cattle, in spite of the proximity of the sea. The purpose of this w ork was to establish the influence of basic diet, based on meat, fish and d airy products, on teeth elemental content. Moreover, for a few elements, th e differences between concentrations in corresponding regions of teeth was correlated with the proximity of the sea for the subjects of one of the isl ands. An x-ray fluorescence set-up with microprobe capabilities, installed at the LURE synchrotron (France), was used for elemental determination. The resolution of the synchrotron microprobe was 100 mum and the energy of the incident photons was 18 keV. Concentration profiles of Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Sr and Pb in different parts of a tooth are discussed and correlated for both populations. The teeth collected for both populations show a similar behavi our with respect to the elemental distribution. Mn and Cu occur at low conc entrations and they are almost constant in all the studied parts of teeth. The content of Sr is higher in the external enamel while the concentrations of Fe, Zn, Br and Pb increase in the inner part of the teeth. However, the contents of Br and Pb are different in the two populations. Higher levels of both elements were found in Terceira subjects. Moreover, the Sr concentr ation levels indicate that the diet of the studied individuals is richer in meat than in fish. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.