A Study of the modes of calculus attachment to tooth surfaces

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the manner in which calculus deposits attach to tooth surfaces. The results will serve to confirm or reject previously reported material in order to provide an updated source of reference for educational purposes. Freshly extracted teeth were fixed, sectioned, and conventionally prepared for light, transmission electron, and scanning electron microscopic examination. Earlier histologic studies reporting cuticular attachment, mechanical locking into undercuts, and direct attachment of the calculus matrix to tooth surface have been confirmed. The claim of bacterial penetration as a mode of attachment has been rejected. New ultrastructural evidence of cuticular attachment and of direct “bonding" of the calculus to cementum has been presented.