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Part of the book series: Biology of Extracellular Matrix ((BEM,volume 10))

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Abstract

Dental cementum is a specialized complex structural component of teeth, covering its roots. It is avascular, non-innervated, does not remodel but some of it can grow continuously through life (Bosshardt and Selvig. Dental cementum: the dynamic tissue covering of the root. Periodontol 2000 13:41–75, 1997). Comprehensive knowledge of this tissue has been slow to gather due to its low representation as compared to other mineralized tissues like enamel, dentin, and alveolar bone, constituting the teeth. Because of its sparse presence (about 20–50 μm thick around the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), and about 150–200 μm thick at the root apex), initial studies on cementum were for a long time mostly morphological; however, the last two decades have seen tremendous progress on our understanding of the developmental, cellular, and molecular biology of cementum. We now know that this tissue is highly unique, it is organized into different structural varieties, has a unique composition and function, plays a big role in the periodontal apparatus homeostasis and it is a determinant factor for the regeneration of periodontal tissues destroyed by trauma, genetic diseases, and infections.

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Acknowledgment

This work was partially supported by a grant from DGAPA-PAPIIT-UNAM IN203920.

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Correspondence to Higinio Arzate .

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Arzate, H., Zeichner-David, M. (2021). Cementum Proteins Beyond Cementum. In: Goldberg, M., Den Besten, P. (eds) Extracellular Matrix Biomineralization of Dental Tissue Structures. Biology of Extracellular Matrix, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76283-4_7

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