Discussion

1. Describe the normal growth pattern and thickness of the AEFC. What is the relationship between thickness of the
AEFC and age?
● The AEFC is located around the cervical third of deciduous and permanent teeth.
● AEFC undergoes appositional growth, resulting in dark and light bands.
● Depending on individual age, normal AEFC varies in thickness between 20 and 250μm.

2. How can the incremental lines of AEFC be used to estimate individual histological age? What type of tooth sections
the most reliable data can be obtained from?
● One pair of dark and light bands each constitute one incremental line, the number of which, added to the
year of eruption of the respective tooth, results in the histological age of the individual under study.
● In apical third of root, find acellular/mixed cementum - so need appositional layers to be as regular as
possible. Acellular has the most regular growth? So would use mid third of root section to get data

3. What pathological conditions of human dentitions can affect the number of incremental lines in the AEFC and
how?
● Pathological conditions of the dentition are likely to either diminish (e.g. periodontal disease because less
cementum growth) or increase (e.g. hypercementosis because more cementum growth) the number of
incremental lines of the AEFC

4. What were the main aims of the present study?

● The main aims of the study are to evaluate 1) under which pathological conditions, the AEFC still permits a
valid chronological age-at-death diagnosis, and 2) whether life-history parameters are preserved in the AEFC
and can serve as a valuable identification aid

5. In the Methods section, how do the authors explain the optical effects of broader and translucent lines?
● Inversion phenomenon: due to microscopical focusing artifacts, translucent lines can be inverted into darker
lines

6. How do the authors explain the etiology of these “conspicuous” lines later in the text (Figures 2 - 4)?
● Lack of available calcium, pregnancy
● Will see the growth line, but not mineralised enough- so see it as translucent.
● Conspicuous broad and translucent post eruptive lines corresponded with pregnancies, skeletal trauma, renal
disorder. These impact calcium metabolism. These translucent bands in AEFC are the result of a relative lack
of available calcium on the spot of cementogenesis and shouldp be in fact hypomineralized. Due to
undisturbed or accelerated matrix production, these hypomineralized bands also appear to be broader than
others

7. In your opinion, what are the possible weaknesses of this study?

● The lines were manually counted by the observer (subjective, rather than objective)
● The observers determined what was an incremental line and what wasn’t
● They claimed that the lines are hypomineralised but in the method section did not use the equipment to test
it - assumption
● Sample control - who study is based on the info the patients gave them - ppl aint telling the truth smh -
certain patients didn’t give accurate info
1. Describe similarities and differences between bone and cementum.
● Cementum and bone have similar physical and chemical properties, however, cementum does not have
innervation, blood supply, marrow spaces, lamellar appearance or remodelling (which are all features of
bone). Like bone, cementum is also made of hydroxyapatite crystals (mineral), in addition to a collagen
matrix and water. Cementum is less easily resorbed compared to bone.

2. What are the ways to classify cementum? Describe the main principles they are based on?
● Based on presence or absence of cells: cellular and acellular cementum
● Based on nature and origin of the collagen fibres: extrinsic, intrinsic and mixed fibre cementum
● Based on presence or absence of cells and nature and origin of the collagen fibres: acellular extrinsic fibre
cementum and cellular intrinsic fibre cementum

3. Write a summary of differences between acellular and cellular cementum.

● Acellular cementum: no cells, border with dentine not clearly demarcated, rate of development relatively
slow, incremental lines relatively close together, precementum layer virtually absent
● Cellular cementum: lacunae and canaliculi containing cementocytes and their processes, border with dentine
clearly demarcated, rate of development relatively fast, incremental lines relatively wide apart,
precementum layer present

4. What are lacunae and canaliculi in cellular cementum?

● Lacunae are the spaces that cementocytes occupy in cellular cementum, and canaliculi are the channels
where their processes extend. Adjacent canaliculi are often connected and the processes within them exhibit
gap junctions.

5. a) Draw a diagram showing the patterns of arrangement of the cementum-enamel junction.

b) Write a statement describing each pattern.
● Pattern 1: where the cementum overlaps the enamel for a short distance, is the predominant arrangement in
60% of sections
● Pattern 2: where the cementum and enamel meet at a butt joint, occurs in 30% of sections
● Pattern 3: where the cementum and enamel fail to meet and the dentine between them is exposed, occurs in
10% of sections

6. a) Write a statement describing the clinical importance of cementum-dentine junction. b) What is the intermediate
layer between cementum and dentine?
● The cementum-dentine junction forms an interface between 2 very different mineralized tissues that are
developing contemporarily. It is clinically important in maintaining tooth function when repairing a diseased
root surface.
● The intermediate layer between cementum and dentine anchors periodontal fibres to dentine and is clinically
important in regards to regeneration of periodontium. It is characterised by wide, irregular, branching spaces
 and is most commonly found in apical region of cheek teeth. This layer appears to have a lower mineral
content and is a composite of inorganic and organic components. It has been suggested that this layer
functions as a permeability barrier and a precursor for cementogenesis in wound healing (speculative).

1. Complete the drawing within the Figure 1a (inside of the circle) and label the incremental lines in acellular
cementum, cementum-dentine junction and granular layer (of Tomes) in dentine.

2. Complete the drawing within the Figure 2a (inside of the circle) and label the lacunae and canaliculi, as well as
intracellular substance in cellular cementum.

3. What does the direction of the canaliculi suggest about location of the periodontal ligament in the Figures 2a and
2b?
The canaliculi are orientated towards the periodontal ligament, as this is their main source of nutrition.