A scanning electron microscopic study of the enamel of neonatal teeth.

Neonatal teeth, two mandibulars incisors and one maxillary central incisor, from two separate patients were examined, by SEM. Besides typical enamel anomalies, the incisors exhibited partial or total absence of root formation. These findings suggest that the early eruption of natal and neonatal teeth is dependent on osteoblastic activity within the area of the tooth germ. The reported cases show that teeth may erupt without root formation and without periodontal ligament which correlate with the role of the dental follicle during tooth eruption.