Element sensitive X-ray micro tomography for determination of the metal diffusion in teeth with amalgam fillings

Element sensitive X-ray tomography has been applied to detect the metal diffusion from the amalgam tooth filling into the tooth. By performing tomographies with energies above and below the K-edges of the various metals of the amalgam, it is possible to determine their distribution. Here presented are the results of measurements at ID15 and ID19 of the ESRF. To improve the sensitivity of our measurements a method for contrast enhancement for projections was developed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.