Permeable Structures in Normal Enamel

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The permeability of the enamel of deciduous and permanent teeth of dogs has been investigated in vivo by means of the application of dyestuff on the intact outer surface. As accumulations of dye seen in white light microscopy cannot always be distinguished from diffraction lines, a fluorescent dye was chosen and observations were made with the fluorescence microscope. Freezing drying technic and embedding in methyl methacrylate were employed in order to avoid postmortem displacement of the dye. Prism - sheaths, lamellae and tufts were found to convey the dye from the outer surface to the dentino-enamel junction and beyond within (in the case of deciduous canines) a few minutes. No as yet unknown pathways were observed, but the permeability of the prism-sheaths, lamellae and tufts was shown to exist under physiological conditions. The limitations of the method and of its results were discussed.