Odontoblast

In vertebrates, an odontoblast is a cell of neural crest origin that is part of the outer surface of the dental pulp, and whose biological function is dentinogenesis, which is the formation of dentin, the substance beneath the tooth enamel on the crown and the cementum on the root. In vertebrates, an odontoblast is a cell of neural crest origin that is part of the outer surface of the dental pulp, and whose biological function is dentinogenesis, which is the formation of dentin, the substance beneath the tooth enamel on the crown and the cementum on the root. Odontoblasts are large columnar cells, whose cell bodies are arranged along the interface between dentin and pulp, from the crown to cervix to the root apex in a mature tooth. The cell is rich in endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex, especially during primary dentin formation, which allows it to have a high secretory capacity; it first forms the collagenous matrix to form predentin, then mineral levels to form the mature dentin. Odontoblasts form approximately 4 μm of predentin daily during tooth development. During secretion after differentiation from the outer cells of the dental papilla, it is noted that it is polarized so its nucleus is aligned away from the newly formed dentin, with its Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum towards the dentin reflecting its unidirectional secretion. Thus with the formation of primary dentin, the cell moves pulpally, away from the basement membrane (future dentinoenamel junction) at the interface between the inner enamel epithelium and dental papilla, leaving behind the odontoblastic process within the pulp. The odontoblastic cell body keeps its tapered structure with cytoskeletal fibres, mainly intermediate filaments. Unlike cartilage and bone, as well as cementum, the odontoblast’s cell body does not become entrapped in the product; rather, one long, cytoplasmic attached extension remains behind in the formed dentin. The differentiation of the odontoblast is done by signaling molecules and growth factors in the cells of the inner enamel epithelium. Like enamel, dentin is avascular. Nutrition for odontoblasts within the dentin comes through the dentinal tubules from tissue fluid that originally traveled from the blood vessels located in the adjacent pulp tissue. Within each dentinal tubule is a space of variable size containing dentinal fluid, an odontoblastic process, and possibly an afferent axon (see next discussion). The dentinal fluid in the tubule presumably also includes the tissue fluid surrounding the cell membrane of the odontoblast, which is continuous from the cell body in the pulp. It has been shown that odontoblasts secrete the extracellular matrix protein reelin.