Calcium distribution in freeze-dried enamel organ tissue during normal and altered enamel mineralization

Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis was applied to freeze-dried blocks of enamel organ tissue to determine levels of calcium in various cellular regions. The tissue blocks were dissected free from adjacent forming enamel following injection of cobalt or fluoride ions, both of which temporarily inhibit enamel mineralization. In all control and experimental specimens there was an increasing gradient of calcium from the stratum intermedium cells to the distal ends of the ameloblasts. Calcium levels were significantly reduced near the distal ends of the ameloblasts following cobalt or fluoride injection as compared with controls. It is suggested that evidence of an intercellular buildup of calcium near the distal ends of the ameloblast supports a controlling function of these cells. The changes in calcium levels are correlated with alterations in mineralization known to occur in the adjacent enamel of the model systems employed.