Abstract
The crestal pit is a small pit on a cuspal portion of the human tooth enamel first reported by Tokoro in 1937.
Thereafter there have been few reports on crestal pits published. Forty nine cases of crestal pits on young human permanent teeth were observed through a scanning electron microscope in this study.
Ten cases of human permanent molars were observed through a dissecting microscope, then washed in a supersonic washer, dried, gold plated using an ionspatter. The crestal pits of the cuspal portion of the teeth were observed through a scanning electron microscope and measured.
Some of the specimens were cut sagittally at the middle portion of the crestal pit, then a side wall of the crestal pit was observed using a scanning electron microscope. A maximum of 9 crestal pits per tooth, a minimum of 2 and average of 4.9 were observed. The opening form of the crestal pit was classified into four types; round 46.9%, oval 36.1%, triangle 10.2% and others 6.1%. The diameter of the crestal pit was 0.68mm maximum,0.014mm minium and average 0.173 mm.
The crestal pit is a round tube opening in a trumpet bell form in an enamel surface of cuspal portion, ended in a test tube form near the dentino-enamel junktion. In the side wall of the crestal pit, small branches were also seen in some specimens.
