Oral Anatomy & Histology (Review: Outcome 7) Flashcards
Tooth Tissues
1) Enamel
2) Dentin
3) Pulp
4) Cementum
Where did enamel originated from?
Ectoderm
What type of cells was enamel formed by?
Ameloblasts
Why is enamel not a living tissue?
- Mature enamel does not contain cells that are capable of repair and regeneration
- No blood supply or nerves
Is enamel permeable or non-permeable?
Permeable
- allows for the exchange of ions
- demineralization and remineralization
Characteristics of enamel
1) Hardest tissue in the body
2) Composed of inorganic (mineral) and organic substance
3) Mature enamel
a) ~ 96% inorganic materials and 1% organic materials and 3% water
b) Main mineral component: Calcium hydroxyapatite
- found in lesser extents in dentin, cementum, and bone
- appears more radiopaque on radiograph
- other minerals present in smaller amounts: carbonate, magnesium, potassium, sodium, fluoride
How thick is enamel?
0.2 - 2.6 mm
- thick at the cusps of molar teeth (2.6mm)
- thinner at incisal edges
What is the colour of enamel?
- Translucent
- Colour varies: yellowish to grayish/bluish white
- Varies with age
What is the colour of enamel in primary teeth?
Whiter
- more opaque crystalline form
What is the colour of enamel in permanent teeth?
Yellowish-white to gray
- reflects underlying dentin
Lines of Retzius
Incremental lines
- represent the deposition of enamel during the formation of a tooth
- similar to growth rings of a tree
Hunter-Schreger bands
Alternating light and dark bands
- causes by enamel prisms changing direction
What is enamel composed of?
Enamel rods, also known as enamel prisms
What are enamel rods?
Also known as enamel prisms
- crystalline structural unit of enamel
- extend from the surface of the tooth to the DEJ
- grouped in rows and organized around the circumference of the long axis of the tooth
- rows are generally perpendicular to the surface of the tooth
Enamel rod structure
1) Rod sheath
- covering of the enamel rod
- acid resistant (hardest enamel structure)
2) Inter-rod substance (interprismatic substance)
- the material between the keyhole shaped enamel rods
- like a cement or glue
How do you think the arrangement of the enamel rods influences the penetration of decay? Do you think the rate of decay slows or increases once it reaches the dentin? Explain your answer.
- The enamel rods influences the penetration of decay (decay is going to follow the pattern of the rods)
- The rate of decay will increase because dentin is not as hard (not as mineralized)
What are enamel lamellae? Are enamel lamellae of
any clinical significance?
- Thin, leaflike structures that extend from the enamel surface toward the DEJ.
- Consist of organic material with little mineral content
- Little hypo-mineralization areas
- No clinical significance
What are enamel tufts? Is there any clinical
importance of enamel tufts?
- Appearance of tufts of grass.
- Enamel tufts are the hypocalcified or uncalcified
ends of groups of enamel prisms. - Start at the DEJ and may extend to the inner third of the enamel
- no clinical importance
What are enamel spindles? Is there any clinical
significance to enamel spindles?
The ends of odontoblasts (dentin-forming
cells) that extend across the DEJ a short distance into the enamel
- no clinical significance
What is the wear of enamel considered as when enamel is loss as a result from friction caused by excessive toothbrushing and use of abrasive toothpastes?
Abfraction
- V-shaped notched usually on the facial
Attrition
Hard tooth tissue loss caused by tooth-to-tooth contact during mastication or parafunctional habits