Molecular mechanisms in dental hard tissue mineralization

During the period covered by this issue, over 500 papers were published in the area of biology of dental hard tissues. This review is limited to publications that focus on the organic matrix components believed to be important in the formation of dentin, cementum, and enamel. The advances made in this area for the collagen-based dental hard tissues (dentin and cementum) have been primarily in the isolation and partial characterization of the noncollagenous proteins such as proteoglycans, phosphoproteins, and proteins normally found in bone. These proteins are being studied because of their potential role for directing hydroxyapatite nucleation or crystal growth. The progress made in the enamel field has been primarily in the area of molecular biology. Enamel is quite different physically from dentin and cementum because it is formed from a noncollagenous matrix (mostly amelogenin), which is almost completely removed and replaced with hydroxyapatite. Serum proteins have now been found in all dental hard tissues including enamel. Opinions on the clinical significance of these advances are provided.