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Enamel Lamellae — MFDS Part 1 MCQ

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HardAnatomy (Head & Neck)Enamel LamellaeMFDS Part 1

A ground section of a permanent tooth shows a thin, leaf-like defect extending from the external enamel surface towards the dentino-enamel junction. It penetrates substantially farther through the enamel than an enamel tuft. Which description best characterises the material within this enamel lamella?

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Correct answer: A — Organic-rich, hypomineralised material between groups of enamel prisms

The correct answer is A. Enamel lamellae are thin, leaf-like, relatively hypomineralised defects containing organic-rich material between groups of enamel prisms. They extend inward from the enamel surface and may approach the dentino-enamel junction, whereas enamel tufts arise at the junction and extend only a short distance into enamel. Highly mineralised prisms therefore do not describe a lamella. Entrapped odontoblast-process extensions characterise enamel spindles, not lamellae. Dentinal fluid remains associated with dentinal tubules and does not normally traverse the full enamel thickness. Fluorapatite-rich surface enamel reflects post-eruptive fluoride incorporation rather than a structural enamel defect.

Reference: Bures H, Svejda J. Enamel bundles and lamellae under the scanning electron microscope. Zahn Mund Kieferheilkd Zentralbl. 1976;64(8):779-789. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/141829/