Mineralization processes in hard tissues

Teeth are unique and complex organs formed from different embryonic layers. Mature tooth comprises enamel, dentin, cementum, and dental pulp. During its embryonic development, soft tissues of the dental germs begin to mineralize through a series of highly synchronized spatiotemporal events until the tooth erupts into the oral cavity. Enamel contains an exquisitely intricate and ordered arrangement of densely packed mineral crystals. Enamel mineralization involves the participation of multiple specific proteins that modulate the processes of crystal secretion and maturation. Dentin, on the other hand, is a less mineralized tissue than enamel and contains a higher amount of proteins. Like enamel, dentin mineralization requires participation of several proteins, some of them not yet fully characterized. Highly intricate cellular and molecular processes are required to form mature dentin. By a thorough revision of the existent literature on the topic, this chapter presents a state-of-the-art summary of the current understanding of tooth biomineralization.