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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
Analysis of Developing Tooth Germ Innervation Using Microfluidic Co-culture Devices
Published on: August 14, 2015
Expression of ameloblastin in the human tooth germ and ameloblastoma
Suganya Panneer Selvam1, Irulandy Ponniah1
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Tamil Nadu Government Dental College and Hospital (Affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, No. 69, Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai 600 032, Tamil Nadu, India), Chennai, India.
Objective:
To analyse the immunohistochemical expression of ameloblastin in the bell stage of tooth germ and compare with ameloblastoma to determine the level of differentiation of tumour cells.
Study Design:
This study included eleven human tooth germs with four in the early and seven in the late bell stage, and six selected archival tissue samples of ameloblastomas were studied using haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and ameloblastin.
Results:
All eleven tooth germs reacted positively to ameloblastin with a characteristic inverted and sequential pattern of expression in the acellular zone of the dental papilla and enamel organ. Of the six cases of ameloblastoma, five cases showed a variable level of expression of ameloblastin in the tumour cells, whereas in one case, ameloblastin was negative in the tumour cells but positive in the stromal fibrous tissue collar.
Conclusion:
Expression of ameloblastin in human tooth germ is related to differentiation and mineralization, and it correlates with the state of differentiation of the tumour cells in ameloblastoma.
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