Chemically distinct stages in developing human fetal enamel

D. Deutsch*, I. Gedalia

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chemical analyses and the appearance of developing enamel from maxillary first incisors of human fetuses aged 5-9 months distinguished two stages during this period of development. The first corresponded to the production of forming enamel, which was soft, translucent and partially mineralized, and the second to the maturation or secondary mineralization of enamel. The final stage in enamel development, i.e. the mature, hard enamel is, however, generally absent in the tooth of the 9 month old fetus. The concentrations of P and Ca of the forming enamel in the tooth axis did not change significantly, varying between 9-12 and 21-26 per cent by weight, respectively. However, the P and Ca concentrations rose steeply across the boundary between the forming and the maturing enamel to reach a maximum value of 17 and 35 per cent, respectively, in the second stage.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)635-639
Number of pages5
JournalArchives of Oral Biology
Volume25
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 1980

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