The visualization of the patterns of ameloblast modulation by the glyoxal bis(2-hydroxyanil) staining method

Several red stripes appeared on the surface of the rat incisor enamel at the maturation stage when stained with a modified glyoxal bis (2-hydroxyanil) method (GBHA). The stripes running across the maturation enamel were correlated directly, morphologically, and indirectly, using 45Ca autoradiography, with the bands of overlying smooth-ended ameloblasts. In addition, GBHA strain revealed similar stripes on the maturation enamel of the developing teeth from a variety of animals (rat molar, bovine incisor and molar, porcine canine, and monkey incisor), indicating that the maturation of the mammalian tooth enamel, in general, is under the control of two types of maturation ameloblasts which undergo cyclic morphologic changes.