We have studied the expression patterns of the newly isolated homeobox gene, Hox-8 by in situ hybridisation to sections of the developing heads of mouse embryos between E9 and E17.5, and compared them to Hox-7 expression patterns in adjacent sections. This paper concentrates on the interesting expression patterns of Hox-8 during initiation and development of the molar and incisor teeth. Hox-8 e...

INTRODUCTION Fixed orthodontic appliances, despite years of research and development, still raise a lot of controversy because of its potentially destructive influence on enamel. Therefore, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the condition and therein the thickness of tooth enamel in order to select the appropriate orthodontic bonding and debonding methodology as well as to assess the qual...

Hypocalcification of her tooth enamel had created occlusal and esthetic problems for a 26-year-old patient with celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disorder that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. This disease can cause the improper development of enamel on adult teeth. The combination of bruxism with weak and po...

Mammalian teeth develop during embryogenesis as epithelio-mesenchymal organs. The primary enamel knot is considered as a signaling center in tooth morphogenesis. After tooth bell formation, this epithelial structure undergoes apoptosis. Activation of caspase 3 represents a crucial step in the intracellular death machinery. Procaspase 3 and caspase 3 molecules were localized in the primary ename...

Dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 4 (Dpysl4) is a known regulator of hippocampal neuron development. Here, we report that Dpysl4 is involved in growth regulation, polarization and differentiation of dental epithelial cells during tooth germ morphogenesis. A reduction in Dpysl4 gene expression in the tooth germ produced a loss of ameloblasts, resulting in the decrease of synthesis and secretio...

“frosted” appearance. _Enamel hypoplasia (EH) is a defect in tooth enamel that results in less quantity of enamel than normal. The defect can be a small pit or can be widespread that the entire tooth is misshaped with affected mechanical properties.4 EH can occur on single or multiple teeth.6 It can appear white, yellow or brownish in color with a rough or pitted surface.6,8 In some cases, the ...

The ESR spectra of a fragment of fossil tooth enamel were measured by rotating it in 10 increments over 360 around its three major axes. We used an automated simulated annealing (SA) procedure for the mathematical decomposition of the spectra. The SA approach is particularly robust in finding global solutions rather than getting stuck in local minima. All angular measurements could be fitted wi...

The common morphological metrics of size, shape, and enamel thickness of teeth are believed to reflect the functional requirements of a primate's diet. However, the mechanical and material properties of enamel also contribute to tooth function, yet are rarely studied. Substantial wear and tooth loss previously documented in Lemur catta at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve suggests that their de...

Enamel covers the tooth crown and is responsible for protecting the inner tissues of the teeth. It is thus clinically important to diagnose the anomalies in tooth enamel structures in the early stage for prevention and treatment. In this article, we report the epi-harmonic-generation-microscopic study of various abnormal enamel from the nature surface of human teeth. With a 1230 nm light source...

Bonding composite resin to enamel of teeth affected by amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is often problematic, especially in cases with poorly mineralized, friable enamel. Difficulty in bonding hypomineralized enamel can significantly limit the restorative and orthodontic treatment options for AI patients. In this report, we document a novel approach to bonding AI enamel by pretreating the tooth sur...