BACKGROUND Matrix metalloproteinase-20 (Mmp20) ablated mice have enamel that is thin and soft with an abnormal rod pattern that abrades from the underlying dentin. We asked if introduction of transgenes expressing Mmp20 would revert this Mmp20 null phenotype back to normal. Unexpectedly, for transgenes expressing medium or high levels of Mmp20, we found opposite enamel phenotypes depending on t...

The enamel matrix derivative Emdogain was recently approved for clinical use in a number of countries, including Canada. It has been shown to stimulate regeneration of periodontal ligament following periodontal surgery in adults. This paper reviews pertinent clinical and laboratory studies of Emdogain and describes the protocol and methods used for a longitudinal outcome study of replantation o...

The transport of mineral ions from the enamel organ-associated blood vessels to the developing enamel crystals involves complex cargo packaging and carriage mechanisms across several cell layers, including the ameloblast layer and the stratum intermedium. Previous studies have established PHOSPHO1 as a matrix vesicle membrane-associated phosphatase that interacts with matrix vesicles molecules ...

INTRODUCTION Dental enamel is comprised of highly organized, oriented apatite crystals, but how they form is unclear. METHODS We used focused ion beam (FIB) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate early enamel formation in 7-week-old incisors from wild-type, Amelx-/-, and Enam-/- C56BL/6 mice. FIB surface imaging scans thicker samples so that the thin enamel ribbons do not pass as r...

Tooth enamel has the highest degree of biomineralization of all vertebrate hard tissues. During the secretory stage of enamel formation, ameloblasts deposit an extracellular matrix that is in direct contact with the ameloblast plasma membrane. Although it is known that integrins mediate cell-matrix adhesion and regulate cell signaling in most cell types, the receptors that regulate ameloblast a...

Voluminous literature on the subject of enamel mineralization has been reviewed and published recently.1. 2 Therefore, the author will not attempt to cite again the numerous individual contributions of the many investigators in this area. An evaluation of the past studies leads the reader to the conclusion that at least two general concepts of enamel mineralization have been developed and appea...

The enamel matrix derivative (EMD) is a preparation of the enamel matrix proteins secreted by the Hertwig's epithelial root sheath. It has been shown that EMD promotes periodontal wound healing; however, the significance of the protein in repairing skin wounds is insufficiently addressed. The aim of this in vivo histomorphometric investigation was to analyse the effect of EMD protein on the hea...