Journal of Dental Research

The biochemical function, adenylate energy charge (AEC), correlates with the viable count of S. mutans. AEC may be used to estimate the percent viable fraction of bacteria in dental plaque samples. An interactive computer program designed to process the AEC data is described.

Impacted human third molar teeth were examined, both with the light and electron microscope, to determine the extent of the odontoblast process. The odontoblast process was found to be limited to the inner third of coronal dentin and inner half of mid-root dentin.

Indirect immunofluorescent labeling shows a sequential increase in detectable epithelial cell actin and myosin during wound repair migration and maturation. While actin shows a substantial increase between pre-wound and migration levels, the relative detectable myosin is omnipresent at apparently high levels, and it increases only slightly during active migration.