Caracterización del cemento dental del perro mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido

the aim of this study was to characterize the dental cementum in the dog using the scanning electron microscope (sem). the buccal surface of 38 dental roots was observed and photographed with the sem in their coronal and apical thirds. a morphological classification of the surface was performed and also, the diameter of 20 sharpey fibers was measured in each picture establishing the percentage occupied by them in 600 μm2. in the coronal third, acellular cementum was found with the sharpey fibers closely packed, projecting perpendicular to the surface, occupying almost the whole of it. the diameter of the fibers was of 5.31 ± 0.98 μm. in the apical third, cellular cementum was found, with a density of sharpey fibers less tham 55%, the remainder being intrinsic fibers and cell lacunae. the fiber diameter was 5.47 ± 1.31 μm. the diameters of sharpey fibers of the apical third were significantly higher (p=0.0000) than those in the coronal one. we conclude that the dog cementum surface is not uniform, being differences between coronary and apical thirds and within the same third of the tooth.