Cementicles And Cellular Elements Of Dental Pulp

Cementicles And Cellular Elements Of Dental Pulp

Question 1. Cementicles
Answer:

• A canticle is a small, spherical, or ovoid calcified mass embedded within or attached to the cementum layer on the root surface of a tooth or lying free within the periodontal ligament
• They tend to occur in elderly individuals.

Types:

There are 3 types:

• Free cementite – not attached to the cementum
• Attached (sessile) cementite – attached to the cementum surface (also termedexocementosis)
• Embedded (interstitial) cementite- with advancing age, the cementum thickens, and the canticle may become incorporated into the cementum layer.

Features:

• They may appear singly or in groups
• Most commonly found at the tip of the root.
• Their size is variable (about 0.2 mm – 0.3 mm in diameter)
• Cementicles are usually acellular and may contain either fibrillar or fibrillar cementum, or a mixture of both
• Cementicles are the result of dystrophic calcificationCementicles are thought to form when

Causes:

• Calcification due to degenerative changes in the epithelial cell rests of Malassez
• Calcification of thrombosed capillaries in the periodontal ligament
• Microtrauma to Sharpey’s fibers

Question 2. Cellular elements of the pulp.
Answer: