Oxytalan fibers in the periodontal ligament of the Caiman and the Alligator (Crocodilia, Reptilia)

Histological examination of the fibrous and cellular connective tissue components of the periodontal ligament in the Caiman and the Alligator reveals the presence of reticular fibrillae, collagenic, elastic, and oxytalan fibers, as well as fibrocytes, osteoblasts, cementoblasts and epithelial rests. The oxytalan fibers differentiated by the peracetic acid aldehyde-fuchsin method are most numerous in the coronal region, radiating from the primary cementum into the periodontal ligament a short distance. Oxytalan fibers in fewer numbers are found interspersed between the oblique and the horizontal principal fiber bundles. Inasmuch as the crocodilian teeth have continuous replacement and thus a relatively short functional life, the oxytalan fibers of the Caiman and the Alligator appear to be proportionally fewer in number than they are in the mammalian periodontal tissues. The presence of the oxytalan fibers and epithelial rests in the Order Crocodilia (Crocodilia) adds to the number of dental structures shared with the Class Mammalia (Mammalia) (mammals) such as a stellate reticulum, a primary and secondary cementum and a periodontal ligament. This furnishes additional histological evidence for evaluation of the phylogenetic position of this group.