Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, Vol 2, 369-387, Copyright © 1991 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
The role of extracellular matrix components in dentin mineralization
A. L. Boskey
Laboratory for Ultrastructural Biochemistry, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York.
The extracellular matrix of dentin consists of mineral (hydroxyapatite),
collagen, and several noncollagenous matrix proteins. These noncollagenous
matrix proteins may be mediators of cell-matrix interactions, matrix
maturation, and mineralization. This review describes the current knowledge
of the chemistry of mineral crystal formation in dentin with special
emphasis on the roles of the dentin matrix proteins. The functions of some
of these matrix proteins in the mineralization process have been deduced
based on in vitro studies. Functions for others have been postulated based
on analogy with some of the bone matrix proteins. Evidence suggests that
several of these matrix proteins may have multiple effects on nucleation,
crystal growth, and orientation of dentin hydroxyapatite.
