Column-like structures following the course of tubules in human dentin

Sections, 60-180 microns thick, of permanent teeth, intact or with minor fillings, were cut parallel or transversal to the course of the dentinal tubules. Some teeth were demineralized, embedded in paraffin wax, cut in series, and stained with toluidine blue pH 5.6, hematoxylin-eosin, or PAS. Altogether, sections of 90 teeth were examined by ordinary and polarized light microscopy and contact microradiography. Alternating light and dark bands, usually 8-30 microns wide, extended from the pulpal border along the course of the tubules, gradually increasing in width, fading in the mantle dentin. Cross-sectioned bands appeared as dark and light "discs". This was the background for the term "columns". In the dark columns, usually exhibiting crowding of tubules, the intertubular dentin was dark and radiolucent; in the light columns, light and radiopaque. Dark columns contained a high amount of GAGs, assumed to have exerted an inhibitory effect on their mineralization. The columns probably represent structural elements in the architecture of dentin, possibly offering resistance against mechanical stress. It was suggested that the columns might depict functional differences in the matrix secretion and mineralization capacities of odontoblasts.