Which cells are responsible for the resorption of cementum?
Solution
Correct Answer: Option A
The cells responsible for the resorption of cementum are the odontoclasts.
- Cementum is a calcified tissue that covers the roots of teeth and helps anchor them to the alveolar bone via the periodontal ligament.
- During certain physiological or pathological processes, such as orthodontic tooth movement or trauma, resorption of cementum may occur.
- This resorption is carried out by specialized multinucleated cells known as odontoclasts.
- These cells are functionally similar to osteoclasts, which resorb bone, but odontoclasts specifically target mineralized dental tissues like cementum and dentin.
- Odontoclasts break down cementum by secreting enzymes and acids that dissolve the mineralized matrix.
- Osteoblasts are involved in bone formation, not resorption.
- Cementoblasts are responsible for the formation of cementum, not its resorption.
- Fibroblasts produce collagen and other components of the periodontal ligament but do not resorb cementum.
Reference: Orban's Oral Histology, 13th Edition, Chapter 8: Cementum and the Periodontium / Page 103