During tooth development, the formation of different dental tissues is carried out by specialized cells. Enamel, the hardest and most mineralized tissue of the tooth, is synthesized exclusively by a specific type of cell called ameloblasts.

- Ameloblasts are derived from the inner enamel epithelium of the enamel organ.
- Their primary function is to produce and secrete enamel matrix proteins, such as amelogenin, which later mineralize to form mature enamel.
- Ameloblasts are active only during tooth development; once the tooth erupts, these cells disappear, and enamel cannot be regenerated.
- Other cells like odontoblasts are responsible for dentin formation, cementoblasts for cementum, and fibroblasts for the formation of the dental pulp and periodontal ligament but do not contribute to enamel synthesis.

Therefore, ameloblasts are the key cells responsible for enamel formation during tooth development.

Reference: Ten Cate’s Oral Histology, 9th Edition, Chapter 4, pp. 65-70