Characterization Of Human Teeth By Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract. We present in this report the results of characterization of human teeth by LaserInduced Breakdown Spectroscopy, LIBS (100 mJ, 7 ns, 1064 nm) in surrounding He gas of 55 mL/s. Measurements were carried out on human teeth on dentine and enamel (apical and buccal) until about of 45 ?m depth from surface. The results showed that the Indonesian human teeth contain some elements such as Ca, F, Si, Zn, Na, Sn, Ar, Li, K, Ce, Fe, Mn, Ti, Al, Cr and P. In addition, based on line intensity ratio of ionic Ca II (396.84 nm) to neutral Ca I (422.67 nm), the apical enamel part is the hardest of all. Keywords: human tooth, hardness, LIBS, He gas, dentin, and enamel.