STAINING OF LIPIDS IN CARIOUS HUMAN DENTINE

Undecalcified sections of molar teeth, exhibiting extensive occlusal carious lesions of the dentine, were stained for lipids using a variety of methods. Caries first unmasked lipids in the peritubular dentine matrix, then in the intertubular matrix. This unmasking was followed by a release of the lipids so that they could be extracted. The pattern was similar to that produced in sound dentine following the use of boiling dilute acetic acid before staining. It is therefore considered that the lipids observed in carious dentine are mainly of intrinsic origin. © 1969.