Study of enamel and dentin in primary teeth with dentinogenesis imperfecta type I: A case report

We conducted morphologic investigation of dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) primary teeth of a 10-year-old patient with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and then performed mineral composition analysis of dentin using Raman spectroscopy. In the DI teeth, a number of cracks and fractures were observed not only in the dentin but in the enamel, and irregular dentinal tubules were remarkable in the internal area of the mantle dentin layer. The circumpulpal dentin of DI teeth was significantly different from that of the control teeth. Results of Raman analysis showed that quantitative differences in the mineral content (carbonate and phosphate) between DI teeth and the control were not significant. However, the amount of matrix (amide I of collagen) was decreased in DI teeth. The DI teeth were found to have increased fragility in both dentin and enamel, it might be due to decreased type I collagen formation. *Correspondence to: Yoko Kamasaki, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan, Tel: +81-95-819-7675; Fax: +81-95-819-7675; E-mail: ichiro@nagasaki-u.ac.jp