Abstract
An optical, X-ray and electron-microscopic study of dentine caries shows inorganic crystallization within the lumen of the dentinal tubules. These crystals of apatite are deposited progressively in an organic substrate consisting of the remnants of the odontoblast process, and ultimately occlude the tubule. In the early stages of dentine caries large rhombohedric crystals of β-Ca 3(PO 4) 2—whitlockite—may be seen in sclerosed tubules, sometimes at the boundary of the peritubular zone and the occluded tubule, and sometimes within the lumen of the tubule. Micro-organisms invade the dentinal tubule after destruction of the material occluding its lumen and of the peritubular zone. A diffuse demineralization of the intertubular material precedes lysis of the organic matrix by the invading bacteria; this results in the formation of large cavities filled with bacteria. A confluence of these cavities results in the zone of complete destruction.
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