title: Odontoblasts: the cells forming and maintaining dentine.
abstract: Odontoblasts are tall columnar cells located at the periphery of the dental pulp. They derive from ectomesenchymal cells originated by migration of neural crest cells during the early craniofacial development. Odontoblasts form the dentine, a collagen-based mineralized tissue, through secretion of its collagenous and noncollagenous organic matrix components and by control the mineralization process. A conspicuous cell process arises from the cell body of odontoblasts and penetrates into the mineralized dentine. After dentinogenesis, odontoblasts deposit new layers of dentine throughout life and might also form a type of reactionary/reparative dentine in response to dental caries and other external factors may affect teeth.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mineralized Tissue Biology, Department of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1524 Cidade Universitaria, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. vearana@usp.br
authors.forename: Victor E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Arana-Chavez
authors.forename: Luciana F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Massa
mesh_terms: D003804:Dentin / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003810:Dentinogenesis; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009804:Odontoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure