Scanning electron microscopic study of dentinal pulpal walls in relation to age and tooth area

Abstract

A study was conducted to observe the surface morphological changes of human dentinal pulpal walls in specific areas of the tooth at various ages. Thirty-two extracted human non-carious teeth with single root canals were used. The teeth were divided longitudinally in the bucco-lingual plane and prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The specimens were divided into two groups (younger and older) according to age. Four central sites of the dentinal pulpal wall, including coronal, cervical, mid-root and apical sections, were selected as specific locations. Under the conditions of this study, six basic types of SEM appearance at dentinal pulpal wall surfaces were identified on the basis of calcospherite shape and mineralization. The appearance of the calcospherites varied according to tooth age and location along the dentinal pulpal walls. (J. Oral Sci. 50, 199-203, 2008)