Electron probe microanalysis of fluorotic bovine teeth.

Incisor teeth were obtained from adult cattle which since 4 months of age to 5 or 6 years were maintained on rations containing a yearly average of 40 ppm F in the forage. Microchemical analyses were performed on the fluorotic bovine incisors. The microdistribution of fluoride varied markedly at different sites within the same tooth. Fluoride concentrations varied with the depth from the tooth surface and were influenced by the concentrations of fluoride present in the forage during amelogenesis, and the presence of hypoplastic pits and hyperplastic coronal cementum in enamel. The cementum in these lesions contained remarkably high concentrations of fluoride, and it was less calcified and more porous than adjacent enamel.