[The systemic environment and dental development. From the clinical to the molecular approach]

Clinical observation of patients with disordered phosphocalcium metabolism has demonstrated that dyschromia and/or dental dysplasias systematically accompany such disorders. A certain action of this steroid on dental buds has been demonstrated after analysis of the effects of experimental vitamin D deficiency in the rat: vitamin D would seem to control the behaviour of cells undergoing differentiation and also after this process is complete. Dentinogenesis and amelogenesis would appear principally to be affected. Two proteins, calbindins D-9K and -28K, may constitute the molecular mediators of this ameloblastic regulation.