Publication details
Detekce povrchové kontaminace historického zubního kamene skenovací elektronovou mikroskopií
| Title in English | Detection of surface contamination in ancient dental calculus by scanning electron microscopy |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Česká antropologie |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://anthropology.cz/cs/starsi-cisla/2018-2/ |
| Keywords | SEM; tartar; dental anthropology; soil; fungi; EDX; elemental composition; contaminant |
| Description | To detect surface contamination of ancient dental calculus scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used independently as well as coupled with detector of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Electron micrographs of samples from four individuals from locality náměstí Svobody, Znojmo (SEM imaging) and from Majetín man (EDX analysis) were taken. Significant contamination with recent fungi (hyphae and spores) and bacteria (not the original part of ancient dental calculus) was found in all samples from náměstí Svobody, Znojmo. In the sample from Majetín man, the permeability of selected elements from the soil was determined, thus confirming the contamination of the external side (in contact with the soil) of the tartar. The inside was not contaminated. The applied methods can be used non-destructively and to utilise comparative microscopy for ancient dental calculus. Thus, an increased amount of contamination from the external environment can be detected before the following analyses. Further experiments can be modified based on this finding, or samples can be excluded from the research in time before costly destructive (especially molecular) analyses are applied. |
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