Neonatal line

The neonatal line is a particular band of incremental growth lines seen in histologic sections of a deciduous tooth. It belongs to a series of a growth lines in tooth enamel known as the Striae of Retzius. The neonatal line is darker and larger than the rest of the striae of Retzius. It is caused by the different physiologic changes at birth and is used to identify enamel formation before and after birth.