In animal tooth development, cementogenesis is the formation of cementum, one of the three mineralized substances of a tooth. Cementum covers the roots of teeth and serves to anchor gingival and periodontal fibers of the periodontal ligament by the fibers to the alveolar bone (some types of cementum may also form on the surface of the enamel of the crown at the cementoenamel junction (CEJ)). [1]
For cementogenesis to begin, Hertwig epithelial root sheath (HERS) must fragment. HERS is a collar of epithelial cells derived from the apical prolongation of the enamel organ. Once the root sheath disintegrates, the newly formed surface of root dentin comes into contact with the undifferentiated cells of the dental sac (dental follicle). This then stimulates the activation of cementoblasts to begin cementogenesis. The external shape of each root is fully determined by the position of the surrounding Hertwig epithelial root sheath.
It is believed that either 1) HERS becomes interrupted; 2) infiltrating dental sac cells receive a reciprocal inductive signal from the dentin; or 3) HERS cells transform into cementoblasts. [2]
The cementoblasts then disperse to cover the root dentin area and undergo cementogenesis, laying down cementoid. During the later steps within the stage of apposition, many of the cementoblasts become entrapped by the cementum they produce, becoming cementocytes. When the cementoid reaches the full thickness needed, the cementoid surrounding the cementocytes becomes mineralized, or matured, and is then considered cementum. Because of the apposition of cementum over the dentin, the dentinocemental junction (DCJ) is formed. [3]
After the apposition of cementum in layers, the cementoblasts that do not become entrapped in cementum line up along the cemental surface along the length of the outer covering of the periodontal ligament. These cementoblasts can form subsequent layers of cementum if the tooth is injured. Cementum grows slowly, by surface apposition, throughout life. [1]
Human teeth function to mechanically break down items of food by cutting and crushing them in preparation for swallowing and digesting. As such, they are considered part of the human digestive system. Humans have four types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, which each have a specific function. The incisors cut the food, the canines tear the food and the molars and premolars crush the food. The roots of teeth are embedded in the maxilla or the mandible and are covered by gums. Teeth are made of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness.
Cementum is a specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth. The cementum is the part of the periodontium that attaches the teeth to the alveolar bone by anchoring the periodontal ligament.
Dentin or dentine is a calcified tissue of the body and, along with enamel, cementum, and pulp, is one of the four major components of teeth. It is usually covered by enamel on the crown and cementum on the root and surrounds the entire pulp. By volume, 45% of dentin consists of the mineral hydroxyapatite, 33% is organic material, and 22% is water. Yellow in appearance, it greatly affects the color of a tooth due to the translucency of enamel. Dentin, which is less mineralized and less brittle than enamel, is necessary for the support of enamel. Dentin rates approximately 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. There are two main characteristics which distinguish dentin from enamel: firstly, dentin forms throughout life; secondly, dentin is sensitive and can become hypersensitive to changes in temperature due to the sensory function of odontoblasts, especially when enamel recedes and dentin channels become exposed.
In dental anatomy, the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) is the location where the enamel, which covers the anatomical crown of a tooth, and the cementum, which covers the anatomical root of a tooth, meet. Informally it is known as the neck of the tooth. The border created by these two dental tissues has much significance as it is usually the location where the gingiva (gums) attaches to a healthy tooth by fibers called the gingival fibers.
The periodontal ligament, commonly abbreviated as the PDL, are a group of specialized connective tissue fibers that essentially attach a tooth to the alveolar bone within which they sit. It inserts into root cementum on one side and onto alveolar bone on the other.
The enamel organ, also known as the dental organ, is a cellular aggregation seen in a developing tooth and it lies above the dental papilla. The enamel organ which is differentiated from the primitive oral epithelium lining the stomodeum. The enamel organ is responsible for the formation of enamel, initiation of dentine formation, establishment of the shape of a tooth's crown, and establishment of the dentoenamel junction.
Tooth development or odontogenesis is the complex process by which teeth form from embryonic cells, grow, and erupt into the mouth. For human teeth to have a healthy oral environment, all parts of the tooth must develop during appropriate stages of fetal development. Primary (baby) teeth start to form between the sixth and eighth week of prenatal development, and permanent teeth begin to form in the twentieth week. If teeth do not start to develop at or near these times, they will not develop at all, resulting in hypodontia or anodontia.
In embryology and prenatal development, the dental papilla is a condensation of ectomesenchymal cells called odontoblasts, seen in histologic sections of a developing tooth. It lies below a cellular aggregation known as the enamel organ. The dental papilla appears after 8–10 weeks of intra uteral life. The dental papilla gives rise to the dentin and pulp of a tooth.
In vertebrates, an odontoblast is a cell of neural crest origin that is part of the outer surface of the dental pulp, and whose biological function is dentinogenesis, which is the formation of dentin, the substance beneath the tooth enamel on the crown and the cementum on the root.
In animal tooth development, dentinogenesis is the formation of dentin, a substance that forms the majority of teeth. Dentinogenesis is performed by odontoblasts, which are a special type of biological cell on the outer wall of dental pulps, and it begins at the late bell stage of a tooth development. The different stages of dentin formation after differentiation of the cell result in different types of dentin: mantle dentin, primary dentin, secondary dentin, and tertiary dentin.
The dental follicle, also known as dental sac, is made up of mesenchymal cells and fibres surrounding the enamel organ and dental papilla of a developing tooth. It is a vascular fibrous sac containing the developing tooth and its odontogenic organ. The dental follicle (DF) differentiates into the periodontal ligament. In addition, it may be the precursor of other cells of the periodontium, including osteoblasts, cementoblasts and fibroblasts. They develop into the alveolar bone, the cementum with Sharpey's fibers and the periodontal ligament fibers respectively. Similar to dental papilla, the dental follicle provides nutrition to the enamel organ and dental papilla and also have an extremely rich blood supply.
A cementoblast is a biological cell that forms from the follicular cells around the root of a tooth, and whose biological function is cementogenesis, which is the formation of cementum. The mechanism of differentiation of the cementoblasts is controversial but circumstantial evidence suggests that an epithelium or epithelial component may cause dental sac cells to differentiate into cementoblasts, characterised by an increase in length. Other theories involve Hertwig epithelial root sheath (HERS) being involved.
The cervical loop is the location on an enamel organ in a developing tooth where the outer enamel epithelium and the inner enamel epithelium join. The cervical loop is a histologic term indicating a specific epithelial structure at the apical side of the tooth germ, consisting of loosely aggregated stellate reticulum in the center surrounded by stratum intermedium. These tissues are enveloped by a basal layer of epithelium known on the outside of the tooth as outer enamel epithelium and on the inside as inner enamel epithelium. During root formation the inner layers of epithelium disappear and only the basal layers are left creating Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS). At this point it is usually referred to as HERS instead of the cervical loop to indicate the structural difference.
The Hertwig epithelial root sheath (HERS) or epithelial root sheath is a proliferation of epithelial cells located at the cervical loop of the enamel organ in a developing tooth. Hertwig epithelial root sheath initiates the formation of dentin in the root of a tooth by causing the differentiation of odontoblasts from the dental papilla. The root sheath eventually disintegrates with the periodontal ligament, but residual pieces that do not completely disappear are seen as epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM). These rests can become cystic, presenting future periodontal infections.
Enamel pearls are developmental variations of teeth that present as beads or nodules of enamel in places where they are not normally observed.
In dental anatomy, the junctional epithelium (JE) is that epithelium which lies at, and in health also defines, the base of the gingival sulcus. The probing depth of the gingival sulcus is measured by a calibrated periodontal probe. In a healthy-case scenario, the probe is gently inserted, slides by the sulcular epithelium (SE), and is stopped by the epithelial attachment (EA). However, the probing depth of the gingival sulcus may be considerably different from the true histological gingival sulcus depth.
In dentistry, the epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM) or epithelial rests of Malassez are part of the periodontal ligament cells around a tooth. They are discrete clusters of residual cells from Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) that didn't completely disappear. It is considered that these cell rests proliferate to form epithelial lining of various odontogenic cysts such as radicular cyst under the influence of various stimuli. They are named after Louis-Charles Malassez (1842–1909) who described them. Some rests become calcified in the periodontal ligament (cementicles).
Cementoma is an odontogenic tumor of cementum. It is usually observed as a benign spherical mass of hard tissue fused to the root of a tooth. It is found most commonly in the mandible in the region of the lower molar teeth, occurring between the ages of 8 and 30 in both sexes with equal frequency. It causes distortion of surrounding areas but is usually a painless growth, at least initially. Considerable thickening of the cementum can often be observed. A periapical form is also recognized. Cementoma is not exclusive to the mandible as it can infrequently occur in the maxilla and other parts of the body such as the long bones.
In dentistry, enamel matrix derivative (EMD) is an extract of porcine fetal tooth material used to biomimetically stimulate the soft and hard tissues surrounding teeth to regrow following tissue destruction.
Hard tissue, refers to "normal" calcified tissue, is the tissue which is mineralized and has a firm intercellular matrix. The hard tissues of humans are bone, tooth enamel, dentin, and cementum. The term is in contrast to soft tissue.