Perikyma

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Perikymata (Greek plural of perikyma) are the pits around the long microscopical prisms of tooth enamel. They indicate the places where enamel-producing cells used to make contact to neighbouring cells and are the result of normal enamel apposition.

Perikymata are incremental growth lines that appear on the surface of enamel as a series of grooves. They may disappear as the enamel wears over a period of time.

They are thought to indicate the termination of striae of Retzius at the surface of enamel.