Spectral Study of Age Differences in the Structure of Dental Hard Tissues in Women: The Effect of Connective Tissue Dysplasia

Abstract

We conducted a spectral analysis of the enamel, dentino-enamel junction, and dentin of teeth in women with and without connective tissue dysplasia (CTD) in five age groups: 14–17, 18–21, 22–26, 27–31, and 32–36. Using the principal component analysis method, 19 absorption bands in the IR spectra of hard dental tissues were analyzed and the feasibility of grouping the samples by age and the presence or absence of CTD was assessed. The greatest differences in the functional group composition of the dental hard tissues in the case of connective tissue dysplasia were found at the dentino-enamel junction and were most pronounced for the 14–17 year-old age group. In this age group in comparison with the norm, the intensity of the collagen absorption bands in dentin at 1202, 1249, and 1342 cm^–1 was reduced by 30–50%, while the intensity of the phosphate absorption bands in the enamel at 1037 and 1050 cm^–1 was reduced by 50–70%. The lower third molars in this age group erupt with an insufficient level of maturity in a hypomineralized state, which may be associated with a reduced collagen content and different collagen structure due to connective tissue dysplasia. The data obtained can serve as the basis for a review of preventive measures and prenosological diagnosis of disease in teeth and maxilla based on the connective tissue theory of eruption.