Chemical and Structural Organization of Pig Tooth Enamel and Dentin by Confocal Raman Microscopy: A Comparison With Human

ABSTRACT Pigs' teeth are a valuable model in the field of odontology. They are of particular interest because of their structural resemblance to human teeth. However, the detailed chemical composition and microstructural characteristics of pig dental tissues remain insufficiently explored. This study uses confocal Raman microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) to analyze the enamel and dentin of pig teeth. These tools are suitable to assess how pigs could be a model for human dental research as a model for tooth transplant or that mimic the human teeth. These results were directly compared with data from human teeth under similar experimental conditions. Raman spectroscopy revealed that pig dentin shares many spectral similarities with human dentin, especially in phosphate and carbonate group intensities. However, human dentin exhibited a higher intensity of type B carbonate at 1071 cm −1 . In enamel, both species showed similar Raman features. Moreover, pig enamel showed additional organic signals in the 2800–3000 cm −1 region, suggesting a greater organic content. At the dentin‐enamel junction (DEJ), pigs displayed a more gradual mineral transition with hypermineralized layers, unlike the sharper DEJ observed in humans. These findings were supported by EDX analysis, which confirmed similar elemental distributions in both species. The results highlight that pig teeth closely resemble human teeth in several key aspects, but the difference at the level of mineralization and organic composition must be considered when using pigs as an animal model for dental research or as a replacement for human teeth. This study emphasizes the utility of pigs in dental research while recognizing the limitations in fully mimicking human dental characteristics.