A histochemical study of apoptosis in the reduced ameloblasts of erupting mouse molars.

Apoptotic reactions were demonstrated with a commercial detection kit in the reduced ameloblasts around the tip of the cusp just before and after exposure to the mouth but, as tooth eruption advanced, they were no longer seen in the remainder of the reduced ameloblasts. Although some of the reduced ameloblasts appear to be expelled as a consequence of apoptosis, the remainder appear to constitute the junctional epithelium.