A new saw technique improves preparation of bone sections for light and electron microscopy.

A newly developed saw technique was developed to produce sections circa 10 microns or thicker from fresh bone or dentine and from plastic embedded undecalcified bone tissue with or without implant materials. The method comprises only one step because grinding or polishing to make the sections thinner is not necessary. The bone slices can be decalcified rapidly without using aggressive solvents and used for making ultrathin sections for electron microscopy. Sections of fresh dentine of 15 to 30 microns are transparent which makes it possible to study osteoclastic resorption in vitro. Sections, 10 microns thick, with an intact interface of bone and implant material can be observed for biocompatibility studies.