A three-dimensional reconstruction of the rods in rat maxillary incisor enamel

✍ Scribed by Warshawsky, H. ;Smith, C. E.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1971
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 593 KB
• Volume: 169
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-276X
• DOI: 10.1002/ar.1091690308

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A three‐dimensional reconstruction of the rod profiles seen in inner and outer rat incisor enamel was made from serial 1 μ cross sections of a decalcified upper incisor. The enamel rod was found to be an elongated structure which travelled incisally relative to its origin and ran continuously from the dentino‐enamel junction to the enamel surface. The rod was divisible into an inner and outer enamel portion. The inner enamel portion began at the dentinoenamel junction and travelled incisally for about 20 μ with either a mesial or lateral tilt towards the outer enamel. The outer enamel portion of the rod was straight and ran incisally for about 60 μ as it gradually approached the enamel surface.

Inner enamel portions of rods were arranged in rows parallel to the cross sectional plane of the incisor. All the rods in each row were tilted either mesially or laterally such that individual rods of adjacent rows crossed each other at 90°. Outer enamel portions of rods were not arranged in rows but all passed incisally parallel to one another.