DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9p8cz8wvn
title: Multi-modal characterization of rodent dental development

description: The developing dentition comprises vital hard tissues of the craniofacial
 complex that undergo complex and distinct mineralization stages of
 development through changes in their physicochemical properties. This
 study investigates the mechanical and chemical properties of the
 developing enamel, dentin, and bone in mouse mandibles. We employ a
 multi-modal, multi-scale analysis of the developing post-natal incisor and
 first molar by integrating micro-computed tomography, nanoindentation,
 energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Our findings
 reveal patterns of mechanical, elemental, and chemical changes across the
 developing incisor in enamel and dentin. Magnesium, iron, and the
 carbon-to-phosphate ratio were significantly associated with enamel
 properties, while magnesium composition was associated with dentin. These
 results demonstrate that the mineral composition drives mechanical
 properties across these developing craniofacial hard tissues. The
 integrative multi-modal approach provides a quantitative perspective on
 the early stages of enamel and dentin mineralization of the developing
 incisor.
description: # Multimodal characterization of rodent dental development Dataset DOI:
 [10.1021/acsami.5c08408](https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c08408 "DOI
 URL") ## Description of the data and file structure The data
 presented in this study were collected as part of a multi-modal
 investigation into the development of mineralized dental tissues in the
 postnatal mouse mandible. We employed a combination of high-resolution
 imaging (micro-computed tomography), mechanical testing (nanoindentation),
 elemental analysis (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), and chemical
 profiling (Raman spectroscopy) to characterize the physicochemical changes
 in enamel, dentin, and alveolar bone during tooth development. These
 efforts aimed to elucidate how variations in mineral composition
 contribute to the evolving mechanical properties of the developing mouse
 tooth. ### Files and variables #### File: F1A.tiff
 Description: Three-dimensional microcomputed tomography (micro CT)
 reconstruction of the maxillary and mandibular incisors and molars. The
 grayscale heatmap reflects relative mineral density, with the highest
 intensities localized at the tips of molars and incisors. #### File:
 F1B-a.tiff Description: The sagittal section of the mandible shows the
 spatial relationship of the continuously growing incisor and the first
 molar (M1) prior to eruption. #### File: F1B-b.tiff
 Description: Cross-sectional micro CT image of the pre-secretory region of
 the incisor, representing early-stage mineralization. #### File:
 F1B-c.tiff Description: Cross-section through the secretory stage, where
 enamel secretion and early mineral deposition begin. #### File: F1B-d.tiff
 Description: Cross-section of the transition stage, showing progressive
 changes in mineral density. #### File: F1B-e.tiff
 Description: Cross-section at the maturation stage, where both enamel and
 dentin show peak mineralization. #### File: F2A.tiff Description: Scanning
 electron microscopy (SEM) image of a sagittal section through a mouse
 mandible, with green markers indicating regions of enamel measurement
 along the incisor, red markers for dentin, and a yellow marker identifying
 the alveolar bone near the molar. #### File: F2A-A_.tiff
 Description: H&E-stained histological section of the secretory stage.
 #### File: F2A-A__.tiff Description: H&E-stained histological section
 of the transition stage. #### File: F2A-A___.tiff Description:
 H&E-stained histological section of the maturation stage.  #### File:
 F2B.tiff Description: SEM image showing nanoindentation (NI) sites on both
 enamel (EM) and dentin (DT), demarcated by dashed triangles. #### File:
 F2C.tiff Description: Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) line scan
 across the enamel–dentin junction to assess spatial distribution of
 elements. #### File: C-P_ratio.csv Description: The carbonate-to-phosphate
 (C/P) ratio, calculated as the integrated area of the 1070 cm⁻¹ carbonate
 peak divided by the 960 cm⁻¹ phosphate peak, decreases along the enamel
 maturation gradient but remains more stable in dentin. F: Female M: Male
 EM: Enamel DT: Dentin #### File: EDS-incisor-DT-line-maturation.csv
 Description: Elemental analysis of dentin during the maturation stage.
 #### File: EDS-incisor-DT-line-secretory.csv Description: Elemental
 analysis of dentin during the secretory stage. #### File:
 EDS-incisor-DT-line-transition.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 dentin during the transition stage. #### File:
 EDS-incisor-EM-line-maturation.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 enamel during the maturation stage. #### File:
 EDS-incisor-EM-line-secretory.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 enamel during the secretory stage. #### File:
 EDS-incisor-EM-line-transition.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 enamel during the transition stage. #### File:
 EDS-molar-DT-line-cervical_crown.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 dentin in cervical crown. #### File: EDS-molar-DT-line-cusp_tip.csv
 Description: Elemental analysis of dentin in the cusp tip. #### File:
 EDS-molar-EM-line-cervical_crown.csv Description: Elemental analysis of
 enamel in cervical crown. #### File: EDS-molar-EM-line-cusp_tip.csv
 Description: Elemental analysis of enamel in the cusp tip. #### File:
 Hardness.csv Description: Hardness values of enamel and dentin across the
 incisor and molar, and alveolar bone. #### File:
 Microct-grayscale_intensity.csv Description: Quantification of average
 grayscale intensity (a proxy for mineral density) in enamel (EM) and
 dentin (DT) across secretory, transition, and maturation stages. Data were
 collected from 8 × 8 × 16 voxel regions, with standard deviations shown.
 #### File: MLR-DT.csv Description:  NI-modulus: Modulus from
 nanoindentation data NI-hardness: Hardness from nanoindentation data
 EDS/Mg (at%): Atomic percent of Mg EDS/Fe (at%): Atomic percent of Fe
 EDS/Ca (at%): Atomic percent of Ca EDS/P (at%): Atomic percent of P Ca/P:
 Ca to P ratio C/P: C to P ratio #### File: MLR-EM.csv Description: MLR
 models were built to predict nanoindentation-derived hardness values from
 elemental composition features (Mg at%, Fe at%, P at%, Ca/P, and C/P
 ratios) for enamel and dentin separately. #### File: PCA-categorical.csv
 Description: PCA was performed to reduce dimensionality and visualize
 patterns in elemental composition across enamel and dentin samples. The
 key elemental variables are Mg, Fe, P, Ca/P, and C/P. #### File:
 Raman-EM_DT_Bone.csv Description: Raman spectroscopy was performed on
 enamel and dentin at defined anatomical regions along the developing
 incisor and molar. The raw spectral data capture key vibrational
 signatures associated with mineral and organic matrix components.
 Specifically, phosphate (ν1 ~960 cm⁻¹, ν2/ν4 ~430–586 cm⁻¹) and carbonate
 (~1070 cm⁻¹) peaks were tracked across secretory, transition, and
 maturation stages. ## Access information Data was derived from the
 following sources: * MicroCT image data were acquired using a SCANCO
 MicroCT 45 system and post-processed using BounTI for segmentation
 (Initial Threshold: 10,000; Target Threshold: 6000; Iterations: 100;
 Segments: 9). Segmented volumes were visualized and rendered in Avizo
 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) to generate 3D reconstructions and
 grayscale-based mineralization heatmaps. - Raman spectral data were
 acquired using NT-MDT’s NSOM-Raman system and pre-processed with OMNIC 8
 software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for fluorescence background correction
 using polynomial fitting. Spectral deconvolution and peak area integration
 were performed using OPUS 7.5 (Bruker Optics) with rubber band correction
 and Gaussian–Lorentzian fitting. Final spectral analysis and visualization
 were conducted in OriginPro 2016b (OriginLab). * Statistical analyses,
 including one-way and mixed ANOVAs, were performed in GraphPad Prism
 (Version 10.2.3). Principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear
 regression (MLR) models were conducted in GraphPad Prism, with model
 diagnostics and visualizations generated using Origin2021b (OriginLab).