A Machine for Sawing 80-Micrometer Slices of Carious Enamel

Design and construction of a machine that cats 80-μm slices of sound and carious dental enamel and other calcified tissues is described. These slices can be used for quantitative microradiographic studies. Preparation takes minutes. Thickness for a given slice is uniform within 2 μn, mean thickness is within 4 μm of the intended value and roughness is about 0.1 μm. Commercial components have been used where possible.' Information is provided to permit purchase of the components of the machine and its construction in the average university workshop.