OBSERVATIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OXYTALAN FIBERS IN THE PERIODONTIUM OF MAN
HAROLD M. FULLMER 1
1 National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Bethesda, Md.
The development of oxytalan fibers was investigated with the use of staining methods for mucopolysaccharides, elastic, collagen and oxytalan fibers. Oxytalan fibers appear to develop from a mass of mucopolysaccharide between bundles of collagen, and are first demonstrable in the oral mucosa of embryos at approximately 6 months of age. They develop in the periodontal membrane as Hertwig's epithelial root sheath proliferates apically, and are inserted along with collagen in the cementum as Hertwig's sheath fragments. They apparently increase in size under certain conditions.
Submitted on October 29, 1958
Revised on February 2, 1959
