Odontoblast physiology

•Odontoblasts are involved in the primary dentin formation during tooth embryogenesis.•Odontoblasts secrete secondary dentin during the life of the tooth.•Odontoblasts are reactivated to secrete reactionary dentin under mild caries.•Odontoblasts are sensory cells that can integrate external stimuli.

Odontoblasts are post-mitotic cells organized as a layer of palisade cells along the interface between the dental pulp and dentin. They are responsible for the formation of the physiological primary and secondary dentins. They synthesize the organic matrix of type I collagen and actively participate to its mineralization by secreting proteoglycans and non-collagenous proteins that are implicated in the nucleation and the control of the growth of the mineral phase. They also participate to the maintenance of this hard tissue throughout the life of the tooth by synthesizing reactionary dentin in response to pathological conditions (caries, attrition, erosion…).Besides these fundamental dentinogenic activities, odontoblasts were recently suspected to play a role as sensor cells. They are able to sense the bacteria invasion during caries and then to initiate the pulp immune and inflammatory response. They are also well equipped in ion channels implicated in mechanotransduction or nociception which make odontoblasts suitable candidates to sense external stimuli and to mediate tooth pain sensation.