ON THE QUESTION OF CORONAL CEMENTOGENESIS IN CHEEK TEETH OF ROE DEER (CAPREOLUS-CAPREOLUS L)

We studied whether the premolars and molars of roe deer are covered by coronal cementum. Scanning electron microscopic inspection of surface enamel in freshly erupted, erupting and preeruptive teeth produced no evidence of coronal cementogenesis. This negative result was corroborated by light microscopic observations, revealing that in the lacteal premolars studied, the enamel organ was not completely reduced preeruptively. Therefore, a direct contact between cells of the dental follicle and the enamel surface, a necessary prerequisite for coronal cementogenesis, normally did not occur in roe deer. Descriptions of coronal cementum in cheek teeth of various cervid species can hypothetically be attributed to misidentification of dental calculus or may point to species-specific differences with respect to this character.