Cryo-SEM Evaluation of Desiccation-Sensitive Dental Specimens

As a result of desiccation, conventionally prepared fresh dental specimens, examined with the scanning electron microscope (SEM), exhibit obvious artifactual effects that may include one or more of the following: distortion, fracture, separation of structures, and chemical interactions. Cryo-SEM techniques reduce or eliminate these artifacts and present reliable images while requiring less time to perform than do conventional methods.