Microscopic analysis of the cemento enamel junction of human dentition

Introduction:Cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) is an important anatomical and morphological structure of the tooth, which is located in the cervical part of the tooth and separate between the crown and root. It is the contact point where the enamel which overlaps the crown dentin and cementum or overlapping the root dentin.

Aim and Objective:To determine the relationship between the enamel and cementum at the cemento-enamel junction in both type of dentition and gender.

Material and Method:100 permanent teeth and 100 deciduous teeth (48 male and 52 female) were extracted for orthodontic or periodontal reasons and entire cemento-enamel junction was analyzed after longitudinal ground sections were made in the labiolingual direction. The CEJ of the tooth was studied and their frequencies were categorized as: cementum overlapping enamel, enamel overlapping cementum, edge-to-edge relationship and the presence of gap junctions

Results:We found edge-to-edge contact of the cementum and enamel was most frequent, followed by cementum overlapping the enamel, then gap junction but enamel overlapping cementum is very less in occurrence. There was no correlation between the prevalence of CEJ type and the gender/dentition.

Conclusion:Due to morphological diversity of CEJ, dentist must be careful during any dental interventions procedure in the region of CEJ of tooth because it may induce any other pathological changes or hypersensitivity of teeth.