L. Bjorndal et al., A METHOD FOR LIGHT-MICROSCOPY EXAMINATION OF CELLULAR AND STRUCTURAL INTERRELATIONS IN UNDEMINERALIZED TOOTH SPECIMENS, Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 52(3), 1994, pp. 182-190
This study examines ameloblasts and odontoblasts in relation to minera
lizing enamel and dentin in thin undemineralized tooth sections from u
nerupted and partly erupted human third molars. The material comprised
12 freshly removed third molars. After fixation for 24 h the specimen
s were dehydrated and embedded in hydroxyethylmethacrylate. Undeminera
lized sections 10-15 mum thick were prepared with a cutting-grinding s
ystem, and radiomicrographs were taken. Postsecretory ameloblasts were
seen in different morphologic stages ranging from ruffle- and smooth-
ended ameloblasts to cuboidal and squamous cells adhering to incomplet
e and fully mineralized enamel. The former occurred in the most corona
l tooth part, whereas the latter were seen cervically. It was not poss
ible to identify systematic modulation cycles as seen in postsecretory
rat incisor ameloblasts. The well-defined subodontoblastic region wit
h cell-free and cell-rich layers was established before tooth eruption
. The function of the subodontoblastic region is not fully understood,
but our findings suggest that the establishment of the region plays a
role in maintaining the specific odontoblast phenotype in the coronal
region possibly linked to progressive dentin mineralization.