Figure 1. Representative photomicrographs of sagittal sections of 1st (A,B) and 2nd (C,D) molars of rats that were either sham-operated (A,C) or parotidectomized (B,D) at 22 days of age, and then maintained on a standard rat diet for 5 wks. The dentin formation was measured between the tetracycline label, marking the onset of the experiment (arrows), and the dentin-pulp interface. The dentinal area formed during the experimental period was notably smaller in the parotidectomized animals, especially in the 1st molars.