Journal of Dental Research, Vol 61, 1211-1216, Copyright © 1982 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
The pattern of mineralization of traumatically-induced developmental defects of sheep enamel assessed by microhardness and microradiography
G. W. Suckling and D. J. Purdell-Lewis
An earlier study showed that some of the variation in appearance of defects
of enamel in sheep incisor teeth induced by trauma during tooth development
was related to the phase of activity of the ameloblasts at the time of
injury. In the present study, sixteen selected defects were examined by
microhardness and microradiography. It was found that in some of the fully
formed teeth, the defects had retained the pattern of mineralization
present at the time of trauma, i.e., mineralization had ceased. In other
teeth, further mineralization of the defects occurred after trauma,
resulting in well-mineralized enamel, although sometimes of incomplete
thickness. It was concluded that the trauma, depending on its severity,
leads to either permanent or temporary dysfunction of the ameloblasts,
which also influences the appearance of the resulting lesions.
