Effects of accelerated eruption on the enamel of the rat lower incisor.

The effect of accelerated eruption of the rat lower incisor on enamel was studied in a series of segments obtained when the incisor was cut repeatedly out of occlusion over a five-week period. The segments were ground, cleaned, acid-etched, observed with SEM, and analyzed with EDX. Pigmentation was lost within 11 days. Pigmented superficial enamel was more acid-resistant than the rest of the enamel, but this quality decreased with decreasing iron content. Hypomineralized enamel first appeared in a restricted area at the mesio-labial angle of the tooth in the 6th-7th segment obtained after 11-14 days. Later, hypomineralization became more generalized. All enamel zones were retained throughout the experiment. The geometry of the prism pattern was affected. The angle between prism rows and the enamel-dentin junction increased from 44 degrees to 48 degrees, while the angle of decussation increased from 60 degrees to 70 degrees. The angle between the enamel surface and prisms in the outer enamel was more difficult to assess, but tended to increase from about 25 degrees to 29 degrees. However, the prisms retained their incisal direction. The connection between enamel and dentin was partly disrupted from about the 9th segment onward. The depth of the mesial concavity of the enamel-dentin junction decreased from about the 10th segment onward. Accelerated eruption affects all stages of enamel formation and is a suitable and predictable model for studying regulatory mechanisms in amelogenesis.