DentistryLesson 2 of 2 in the course Oral anatomy and tooth structure

Dentin: Formation, Microstructure, Classification, and Function

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Dentin is a major tooth tissue that supports enamel and surrounds the pulp. This lesson introduces its basic properties and explains how odontoblasts form dentin throughout life.

Dentin (also spelled dentine) is a calcified tissue and one of the four major components of a tooth, alongside enamel, cementum, and pulp. It surrounds the pulp. On the crown it is usually covered by enamel; on the root it is usually covered by cementum.

All flashcards

Why can dentin composition percentages differ between reports?
Composition may be reported by volume or by weight, which gives different percentages for mineral, organic material, and water.
How do dentinal tubules contribute to dentin permeability?
Tubules contain dentinal fluid and odontoblast processes, forming channels through which fluid movement can occur.
How do intertubular and peritubular dentin differ?
Intertubular dentin forms most of the matrix between tubules; peritubular dentin is the highly mineralized lining of tubule walls.
What is pulp recession?
Pulp recession is the age-associated reduction in pulp chamber size as secondary dentin accumulates.
How can dentin’s structure help resist crack growth?
Its mineralized collagen architecture and microcracking can dissipate energy and slow or deflect cracks.

Quiz questions

  1. When does primary dentin form?Answer: Before root formation is complete
  2. Which cells form reactionary dentin after a stimulus?Answer: Pre-existing odontoblasts that survive the stimulus
  3. What structural change defines dentinal sclerosis?Answer: Calcification of dentinal tubules
  4. What do dentinal tubules contain?Answer: Odontoblast processes and dentinal fluid
  5. What tissue makes up elephant ivory?Answer: Dentin

Based on the Wikipedia article Dentin, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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