Terminal end of the human odontoblast process: a study using SEM and confocal microscopy

Abstract

Towards the middle of the eighteenth century, Tomes described the presence of membranous structures of cellular origin inside the dentinal tubules. Subsequent studies have been controversial regarding the terminal end of the odontoblasts. According to Fusayama, this cellular process reaches even the dentinal-enamel junction; others, such as Brännström, believed that this cellular process is present only in the inner third of the dentin. The aim of the present study was to determine the exact area up to which the terminal ends of the odontoblasts extend. With the aid of advanced confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) cylindrical structures were demonstrated inside the tubules even in the absence of odontoblasts. This would confirm that the structures previously described as cellular processes can be identified with the lamina limitans of the peritubular dentin. High resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) provided further evidence that tubular structures are only seen in the inner third of the dentin, towards the pulp.

The composition and structure of bovine peritubular dentin: Mapping by time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy

“…The relative matrix area occupied by the ITD ranges from about 12% at the mineralization front (MF) at the dentin-predentin junction to 96% near the DEJ where the tubules originate, while the inverse is true for the PTD which goes from a relative area of about 3% at the DEJ to over 60% at the MF (Pashley, 1989). The cellular odontoblastic process extends within the tubule, in a fully grown tooth, to about one-third the total length of the tubule (Gorraci et al, 1999).…”

Scanning Electron Microscopic Study on the Fibrillar Structures within Dentinal Tubules of Human Dentin

“…For some time, dentin tissue has been extensively analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy, and in the published studies details of new dentinal structures were described (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). In 1964, Scott (24) described that OPs in the inner third of the dentin were associated with thin fibrils and thought they were OP ramifications.…”

Role of bone marrow‐derived progenitor cells in the maintenance and regeneration of dental mesenchymal tissues

“…Damaged odontoblasts can be replaced by the newly formed odontoblasts derived from the stem cells in the pulp. For example, irradiation can cause retraction of the odontoblast process at the dentinoenamal junction and reduction of the number of the vital odontoblasts in the pulp (Goracci et al, 1999;Al-Nawas et al, 2004). Therefore, the Fig.…”