Pig Enamel, Saliva and Serum Proteome

Molar Hypomineralization is a developmental enamel defect, characterized by demarcated opacities, hypersensitivity, and soft enamel with elevated protein content. Excess protein in enamel, specifically albumin, not only arrests crystal growth during enamel development but also decreases the success rate of current restorative approaches. The development of targeted treatment options for MH is hampered by scarcity of available human samples to develop and test new treatment approaches. Additionally, there is still a need for an animal model mimicking the human MH phenotype in enamel composition and tooth size. We propose herein deciduous porcine enamel as a model for demarcated opacities in human enamel, based on its similarity in dimensions, mechanical properties, and, in particular, protein composition. In this project we aimed to characterize the distribution and developmental origins of albumin in porcine enamel.