Ultrastructure and Acid Phosphatase Cytochemistry of Odontoclasts: Effects of Parathyroid Extract

Abstract

Deciduous teeth extracted from mongrel puppies were decalcified and prepared for electron microscopy. Teeth were extracted before and after administration of parathyroid extract to determine its effects on the fine structure of odontoclasts and the distribution of acid phosphatase activity. Odontoclasts demonstrated cytoplasmic processes entering dentinal tubules, extracellular dense bodies showing acid phosphatase activity, and intracellular localization of this enzyme within digestive vacuoles and the Golgi apparatus. Parathyroid extract apparently affected only the extracellular dense bodies by increasing their number.