A straightforward scanning electron microscopy technique for examining non-metal coated dental hard tissues.

Modifications to the standard operating settings for accelerating voltage, condenser lens current, scan rate, working distance and tilt on the conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) enabled non-metal coated dental hard tissues and synthetic apatite pellets to be viewed free of charging effects. Well-resolved images at magnifications as high as 35,000x were achieved using accelerating voltages less than 5 kV. The methodology detailed here allowed for serial SEM examination of the same sample at various points during an experimental procedure, and may be applied to other sample types. The procedure is non-destructive to the sample and requires no physical modification to the microscope.