Compositional change in human enamel irradiated with MIR free electron laser

The purpose of this study was to investigate compositional changes in human enamel irradiated with the free electron laser (FEL). The exposure on dental enamel at the wavelength of 9.64 μm was observed with the Beijing free electron laser. The distribution of elements in the irradiated or non-irradiated enamel was measured by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) in Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). The results showed that the P/Ca ratio in the ablation region of enamel at the maximum wavelength of infrared absorption was obviously smaller than that at the non-maximum wavelength. In the ablation region the ratios of P/Ca and Ca/Sr were smaller than those in the non-ablation region. The distributions of P, Ca and Sr in the ablation region were heterogeneous due to the element change caused by FEL irradiation.