Oral histology lec. 4 Msc.

Aseel kamil
2nd stage
Enamel and amelogenesis

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• Introduction

• Enamel is the most highly calcified and hardest tissue

in the human body due to it’s chemical contents.
• Unlike dentin, cementum and bone, enamel is
produced by cells of ectodermal origin.
• Enamel tissue is non vascularized , has no blood
vessels and no nerves , thus the enamel is
considered as a non-vital and non- renewable tissue
but it can undergo mineralization changes during the
tooth life.
• Enamel is composed of bending rods.
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 Physical Properties:
• Thickness:- the enamel thickness is variable over the entire surface
of the crown Maximum thickness is about 2- 2.5 mm on the cusps.
• Hardness:- the enamel is considered as the hardest calcified tissue
in the human body.
• Brittleness:- Because of its high mineral content and crystalline
arrangement, enamel is brittle and subject to fracture by trauma
or heavy sharp-edged forces..
• Color:- is determined by differences in the translucency and
thickness of enamel, Thinner areas of the enamel appear
yellowish as the underlying yellowish dentin is visible through the
enamel, and where thickness of enamel is more, it appears
slightly white to grayish.
• Permeability:- It is semi-permeable, which permits complete or
partial passage of certain molecules ( decreased by age).
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 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES:

• Enamel contains about 96% mineral (in organic), 4%

organic material and water by weight.
• The mineral component of mineralized tissues
represented by crystalline of calcium phosphate known
as hydroxyapatite crystale.

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 Structure and organization of enamel:
The fundamentals unit of Enamel are
1. Enamel rods or prisms
2. E. rod sheaths
3. cementing inter- rod substance.

Enamel rod is a long, thin structure extending from the

dentinoenamel junction to the surface of enamel directed at right
angles.
• Each rod is formed by four ameloblasts ; One ameloblast forms the
rod head, two ameloblasts form the neck, and the tail is formed by
a fourth ameloblast , head of each prism lies between the tail of
two adjacent prisms , Such interlocking arrangement provides
enamel with additional strength and stability.
• The center of the rod is called the core of the rod.
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- The number of enamel rods ranges
from 5 million in the lower lateral
incisors to 12 million in the upper first
molars.
- The course of individual rod is wavy
(except in cervical enamel, where the rods
have straight course).
- - The length of most rods is greater than
the thickness of enamel because of the
oblique direction & the wavy course of the
rods.
- The rods located in the cusps, the
thickest part of the enamel, are longer
than those at the cervical areas of the
teeth.

Cross section in enamel rod like key-

hole
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 Rod sheath:
• It is the peripheral part of enamel rod
forms an incomplete envelope around
the prisms.
• stains darker and is more acid-resistant
than the rod.
• It is less calcified and contains more
organic substance like enamel protein.
• The fish-scale appearance of enamel
matrix is due to regular arrangement of
rod sheath with higher protein content.
• The rod sheath may be absent in many
cases. It happens when there is an
increase in crystal size.

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 Inter-rod Substance (inter prismatic) :
Light microscope revealed that the rods are cemented together by
inter-rod substance, which has slightly higher refractive index than
the rods. The crystals are arranged in a different direction in the
inter-rod region.

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 Enamel Structures near D.E.J. :
1- Enamel Spindles: Are short extensions of dentinal tubules across
the dentinoenamel junction into the enamel.

 It originate from the DEJ

 Spindles serve as pain
receptors.

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2- Enamel tufts
• originates at the
dentinoenamel junction and
extends into enamel.
• They appear branched and
contain greater concentrations of
enamel protein than the rest of
the enamel
•may play a role in the spread of
dental caries.
•

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3-Gnarled Enamel
• Over the cusps and
incisal edges the rods
appear twisted around
each other in a complex
arrangement known as
gnarled enamel.
• Functionally, changes in
rod directions between
different layers may
increase the strength of
the enamel, making it
less prone to fracture
and more resistant to
wear.
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 Outer surface structures of enamel:
-Perikymata:
• They are transverse,
wavelike grooves,
believed to be the
external manifestations
of the striae of retzius.
• They are continuous
around a tooth &
usually lie parallel to
each other.

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-Enamel lamella : Are very thin, leaf-like
structures, sometimes visible to naked eye.

•They extend from the enamel surface

towards the dentinoenamel junction, rarely
extending into dentin.

• The enamel lamellae contain mostly

organic material and represent improperly
mineralized enamel.

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 • Dentinoenamel Junction:

• The dentinoenamel junction is

established as soon as the two
hard tissues enamel and dentin
begin to form.
• The dentinoenamel junction is a
scalloped interface between the
enamel and dentin.
• Dentin has pitted surface, which
supports the enamel Small
curved projections of enamel fit
into small concavities of the
dentin.
• The dentinoenamel junction is a
hypermineralized zone that is
about
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30 microns thick.
Incremental Lines of enamel
1- Striae of Retzuis:
• Illustrate the successive apposition of
layers of enamel during the formation
of crown.
• When a ground section of a tooth is
seen under a light microscope, the
incremental lines of Retzius appear as
concentric brownish bands.
• In transverse sections of a tooth,
they appear as concentric circles.

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 2-Neonatal Line
• This is one of the brown striae
of Retzius which is present only
in the deciduous teeth and the
first permanent molar.

• This line separates the enamel

which is formed before birth
from that formed after birth.

• It is usually associated with the

disturbance in the enamel
formation produced at birth,
due to the abrupt change in
nutrition and environment.
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Age changes of enamel
A- permeability : The enamel becomes gradually less permeable by
age, the change is due to alteration in the organic part of enamel
crystals may acquire more ions and increase in size by age reducing
the size of pores between them this lead to decrease permeability.

B- color changes of the tooth

Teeth darken with age due to addition of organic material from the
environment, in addition to the tobacco stains and that of tea and
coffee, also attrition lead to tinning of the enamel surface reflecting
the yellow color of underlying dentin.
C- Attrition:
The most frequent age change of enamel is attrition of occlusal and
proximal contact areas as a result of mastication

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Enamel formation ( Amelogenesis)
• Amelogenesis begins shortly after dentinogenesis at the
advanced or late bell stage.
• During the early stages of tooth development , the inner enamel
epithelial cells proliferate and contribute to the growth of the
developing tooth.
• Ameloblasts fully differentiate at the growth centers located at
the cusp tips or incisal edges and progressing along the sides of
the crown toward the cervical margin.
• Amelogenesis is a complex process involves 2 stages :1- enamel
matrix deposition and 2-mineralization of enamel matrix.

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1- Enamel matrix deposition
• It means the secretion of the enamel matrix by ameloblasts .
• The freshly secreted enamel matrix contain 30% minerals as
hydroxyapatite crystals and 70% waters and enamel proteins which
include 90% amelogenin protein and 10% nonamelogenins protein
• These enamel proteins which are secreted by ameloblasts are
responsible for creating and maintaining an extracellular
environment favorable to mineral deposition.
• When the first layer of enamel is laid down , the ameloblasts will
begins to retreat from DEJ towards enamel surface and begins to
secret the next layer of enamel .
• Enamel matrix begins as a deep staining layer in the H&E. staining
sections. The ameloblasts usually secret the enamel in rods .
• The initially secreted enamel matrix is described as rodless
enamel.
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2- Mineralization of enamel:

• When the full thickness of enamel matrix has been deposited ,

mineralization will be started ,
• this process involved additional minerals with the removal of
organic material and water to reach 96% mineral content.
• This minerals makes the initial enamel crystals that formed in first
stage to grow wider and thicker due to the deposition of large
amount of hydroxyl apetite crystals.
The source of minerals during maturation are from the:
1- Ameloblast itself and another cells of enamel organ like stratum
intermedium.
2- Capillaries which are approach to the outer enamel epithelium
and its very close to the enamel.

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 Life cycle of ameloblasts :

• Ameloblasts show different morphological features and

organelle content during different stages of enamel
formation.
• These stages collectively are referred to as the life cycle
of ameloblasts , which include the following stages:
1- Presecretory.
2- Secretory.
3- Transitional.
4- Maturative.
5- Protective.
6- Desmolytic
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 Life cycle of Ameloblast

1. Morphogenic.
2. differentiation
3, 4. secretory.
5, 6. Maturative.
7. Protective &
Desmolytic

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1-pre secretory stage :when the cells prepare to begin enamel
matrix formation.
• It includes:
A- Morphogenic phases.
B-Differentiation phases.

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 A-Morphogenic stage
• During early bell stage; IEE cells can
undergo mitosis at the cervical
region.
• During this stage the cells are short
columnar with large oval nuclei that
almost fill the cell body.
• The Golgi apparatus and centrioles
are located at the proximal (basal)
end of the cell facing the stratum
intermedium,
• where as the mitochondria are
scattered throughout the cytoplasm.

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 B-Differentiation stage

• IEE cells elongate and their

nuclei shift proximally toward
the stratum intermedium.
• Also increase amount of rER
(rough endoplasmic reticulum)
and most of mitochondria
cluster in the proximal portion
of cell, thus the ameloblast
becomes polarizes cell, with
the majority of its organelles
situated in cell body at distal
portion.
.
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 2-Secretory stage
• The cells of ameloblasts develop blunt processes which penetrate
the basal lamina and protrude into the Predentin thus the
basement membrane is Fragmented.

• During enamel formation, the cell organelles of ameloblasts

increased in number with the initiation of enamel secretion.

• The hydroxyapatite crystals are deposited more or less parallel to

each other and interdigitate with the crystals of dentin in this initial
layers which appears structureless (rodless).

• As the first layer of enamel is formed, the ameloblast migrate away

from dentin surface which permits the formation of a conical
projection called Tomes’ process
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 Secretory stage
• When the tomes process is
established, the enamel matrix is
formed a rods, as the secretion of
enamel protein becomes confined to
two sites.
• First site involves secretion from the
proximal sites of Tomes process and
forms interrod enamel.
• Second site involves secretion from
the distal sloping portion of Tomes
process which later fills this pit with
matrix. These pits are called enamel
rods.
• The difference between rod and
interrod enamel is not chemical, but
in28 the orientation of crystals.
 3-Transitional stage

• Withdrawal of Tomes’ processes.

• Reduction in the height of the ameloblasts
and decrease in its volume and organelle
content.
• During this period most probably the outer
structureless (rodless) enamel is formed.

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 4- Maturative stage
• This stage occurs after most of the
thickness of the enamel matrix in the
occlusal or incisal area has been
formed; while in the cervical parts of
the crown, the enamel matrix
formation is still progressing. During
this stage, the following changes occur:
• 1-The ameloblasts undergo significant
reduction in the height and a decrease
in its volume and organelle content.

• 2Next the water and organic materials

are selectively removed from the
enamel while the additional inorganic
material
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is introduced.
• The ameloblasts modulate their morphology between ruffle-
ended and smooth-ended forms. Ruffle-ended ameloblasts add
mineral to the enamel; smooth-ended ameloblasts allow removal
of water and degraded matrix proteins. At the end of the
maturation stage, almost all of the matrix protein originally
deposited

incorporation
of inorganic exit of protein
material fragments &
water

Ruffle-ended Smooth-ended

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 5-Protective stage

• After complete formation and

mineralization of enamel, the
ameloblasts form 3-4 layers of
stratified epithelium that cover
the enamel and called reduced
enamel epithelium.

• This reduced enamel

epithelium protects the enamel
by separating it from the
connective tissue until the
tooth erupts.

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 6-Desmolytic stage
• Reduced enamel epithelium has
the function of secreting
desmolytic enzymes which cause
degeneration of the connective
tissue that separates the tooth
from the oral epithelium.

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 Defects of amelogenesis
 Tetracycline
• It is an antibiotic which incorporated in mineralizing tissues result
in band of brown pigmentation or even total pigmentation.

 Fluoride ion
• chronic ingestion of F. concentration in
excess of 5 parts per million, result in mottled enamel as patches of
hypomineralized and altered enamel.

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 Clinical consideration

• Enamel is incapable of repairing itself once it is

destroyed because the ameloblast cell degenerates
following the formation of the enamel rod., but
remineralization can occur in the surface of
enamel.
• Diseased, fractured, or otherwise damaged enamel
can only be repaired through operative procedures.
• The final act of the ameloblast cell is secretion of a
layer covering the end of the enamel rod.
• Other hard tissues like dentin, bone, cementum
and cartilage also are mineralized connective
tissues but mature enamel is the only tissue that is
totally acellular.
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