ABSTRACT

The proton-induced x-ray emission method was used to analyze lead concentrations in enamel and dentine of deciduous teeth of 105 6- and 9-yr-old children living in two Finnish towns. Helsinki, the capital city, was assumed to represent high lead exposure and Kuopio, a country town in the middle of Finland, low or moderate lead exposure. In all but two teeth the enamel contained higher lead concentrations than dentine. The individual enamel-dentine lead concentration ratio was not stable but varied greatly. The median dentine lead concentration for 9-yr-old children in Helsinki and Kuopio was 2.0 ppm and 2.9 ppm, respectively, and for 6-yr-old children was 2.5 ppm and 2.7 ppm, respectively. The enamel lead concentrations found in 9-yr-olds in Helsinki and Kuopio were 4.2 and 4.5 ppm, and in 6-yr-olds were 9.1 and 4.4 ppm, respectively. The results reveal low or moderate lead concentrations. Nevertheless, a twofold and statistically significant (P < .01) increase was found in the enamel of Helsinki children born in 1974 compared with those born in 1971.