TEM study of the central dark line in enamel crystallites.

The dark line which is observed in enamel crystallites represents a planar defect involving a single 100 plane of the hydroxyapatite structure. It may occur in the majority of crystals throughout the enamel, although it is only observed in specific diffraction conditions. Its presence may be related both to the formation and growth of crystallites in the developing tooth and to the manner in which the crystallites dissolve during caries. TEM studies show clearly that the central defect is not a dislocation, stacking fault or lattice twin boundary. They further indicate that it cannot represent a structural twin boundary. The remaining possibilities are that it represents a substitution in the HAP lattice, most likely involving carbonate ion, or a separate compatible calcium phosphate phase.