VANADIUM CONTENT OF HUMAN DENTAL ENAMEL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO CARIES

A method for the determination of vanadium in dental enamel based on neutron activation analysis is described. After rapid dissolution of the irradiated sample in perchloric acid,52V is quickly separated by solvent extraction from mixed perchloric-hydrochloric medium with N-benzoyl-N-phenyl hydroxylamine (BPHA) reagent in toluene in 95% yield. The technique was applied to samples from a low caries area of Dalmatia, Zemunik (DMFT<2), and a normal area, Novigrad (DMFT>5), in the same region. No significant differences in vanadium content were found between the two areas, nor between deciduous and permanent teeth. The levels in other areas of Yugoslavia were found to be similar, with a mean concentration of 3.7±1.5 ng·g-1 for 37 samples, with a nearly normal distribution; a few impacted teeth gave lower values. The method can also be adapted to the analysis of bone and biological materials generally. © 1979 Akadémiai Kiadó.