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Aim: The purpose of the present study was to test the accuracy and precision with which the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) can be assessed using three commercially available periodontal probes with different tip endings in both deciduous and permanent teeth. Material and Methods: An “in vitro” model was developed, consisting of 70 extracted permanent and 30 deciduous human teeth mounted in plaster with an artificial gingiva made of silicone rubber. The probes tested were the Merritt-B probe, the ball-ended CPITN probe and the Vivacare TPS beveled-ball probe. With each probe, duplicate CEJ assessments were carried out at six sites per tooth by four examiners. Upon completion, the distance between the CEJ and the artificial gingival margin was determined using a stereomicroscope. Results: The mean difference between the microscopic assessment and the mean clinical probe measurements in permanent teeth was −0.05 mm with the Merritt-B, 0.11 mm for the CPITN and 0.19 mm with the TPS probe. In deciduous teeth, the differences were −0.02, 0.35 and 0.63 mm, respectively. In both permanent and deciduous teeth, only the Merritt-B did not differ from the microscopic assessment. Conclusions: Results showed that the use of the Meritt-B probe offered the most accurate location of the CEJ in both permanent and deciduous teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Root resorption often starts at cement – enamel junction (CEJ) in teeth. • SEM study allows for understanding the initiation and propagation of the resorption process in teeth. • The gap CEJ and the dentin exposure cause the focal inflammation, ideal conditions for resorption. The cement – enamel junction (CEJ) gains a growing interest in clinical dentistry, due to an increasing number of idiopathic tooth resorption leading to the inevitable loss of permanent dentition. Therefore, in this research study, we investigated healthy and under resorption teeth to verify junctions' morphology in relation to the resorption process, its initiation, and propagation. Using light and scanning electron microscopy we examined the three types of CEJ: 1) coronal cementum, 2) abutment) and 3) the gap between cementum and enamel. With energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) we analyzed the Ca and P concentration along the CEJ border. The study indicated the strict correlation between the gap junction and tooth resorption, due to the dentine exposure to the oral environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]