Immunohistochemical Study of Osteodentin in the Unerupted Rat Incisor

To characterize osteodentin in the pre-functional rat incisor, we performed histological and histochemical evaluation of the anterior apex of the incisor in 3-day-old rats. The unerupted incisor was composed of osteodentin, with numerous cells present in the anterior apex. The osteodentin was immunopositive for osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein, and dentin sialoprotein, with an immunolocalization pattern similar to that of dentin. Back-scattered electron microanalysis (BSE) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) showed that osteodentin was not uniformly calcified. These results indicate that osteodentin in the rat incisor possesses dentin-like characteristics, and may be fragile in structure.