An Assessment of Root Cementum in Cleidocranial Dysplasia

The purpose of this prospective study was to determine if there is a difference between the amount of cellular and acellular cementum on the roots of 2 teeth extracted from a subject with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) compared to 10 teeth extracted from 10 subjects unaffected by CCD. The cementum of 2 permanent teeth, which had been extracted from the CCD subject, was examined and histomorphometrically analyzed for comparison to the cementum of 10 anterior teeth that had been extracted from individuals who were unaffected by CCD. The percentage of the root covered by cellular or acellular cementum was quantified to determine if patients affected by CCD typically lack cellular cementum. In the roots of the 2 permanent teeth of the subject with CCD, a mean of 18.05 ± 10.67% was covered by cellular cementum and 76.90 ± 3.53% was covered by acellular cementum. In the 10 permanent teeth from subjects without CCD, a mean of 19.12 ± 15.60% of the root was covered by cellular cementum and 80.34 ± 15.71% was covered by acellular cementum. The findings indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between the amount of either cellular or acellular cementum covering the roots of the study subject with CCD and the roots of the 10 control teeth. The presumption that a lack of cellular cementum causes the increased number of unerupted teeth in patients with CCD is not supported by the findings of this study.