Journal of Dental Research, Vol 67, 1097-1102, Copyright © 1988 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Abnormal amino acid analyses obtained from osteogenesis imperfecta dentin
J. P. Gage, M. J. Francis and R. Smith
Department of Restorative Dentistry, University of Queensland Dental School, Brisbane, Australia.
Amino acid analyses were carried out on dentin proteins obtained from 33
normal teeth and 59 teeth from osteogenesis imperfecta patients. The
analyses revealed that in the control teeth approximately 95% of the
insoluble dentin fraction was collagen. The majority of the analyses for
teeth obtained from the O.I. patients were biochemically abnormal (55 out
of 59). Specifically, there was a significant increase in the acidic amino
acids, with a corresponding decrease in the basic amino acids. A small
group of patients showed double peaks in the histidine, hydroxylysine, and
lysine areas of the chromatograms. These results emphasize that despite the
fact that the teeth of O.I. patients may appear to be clinically normal,
all but four of the teeth examined had abnormal dentin collagen.
