Histomorphometric evaluation of the dimensional changes in rat-incisor tissues following histological processing and embedding in paraffin wax and glycol methacrylate.

A three-dimensional reconstruction of undemineralized and paraffin wax- or or glycol methacrylate-embedded demineralized rat incisors was made using a computerized histomorphometry. Compared to the undemineralized ground sections, the two demineralizing and embedding procedures grossly distorted the tooth sections. In general, embedding in wax caused shrinkage and in methacrylate caused swelling. Direction and magnitude of the deformation varied in the different tissues of the tooth and its surrounding structures. The distortion was influenced by the ratio between the soft and hard tissues at different cross-sectional levels of the tooth.