**Odontoclasts attack external and internal to the [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology|tooth]].
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**Initially start at the neck/cervical region and extend into [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology|tooth]] [[Root - Anatomy & Physiology|root]] and also enter the [[Root - Anatomy & Physiology|root]] via the apical foramen (stage 3 lesions)
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**20%+ of cats have them
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**Different from caries – demineralization by bacteria fermenting CHO on the [[Enamel - Anatomy & Physiology|enamel]].
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**ORLs – only occur when odontoclasts resorb the [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology|tooth]]/bone
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***continues with remodeling of [[Alveolar bone - Anatomy & Physiology|alveolar bone]] until ankylosis
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*** fixation of [[Periodontal ligament - Anatomy & Physiology|periodontal ligament]] and [[Lamina dura - Anatomy & Physiology|lamina dura]] so that the [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology|tooth]] is permanently fixed to the bone.
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*Odontoclasts normally only active in young animals to resorb the [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology#Temporary Tooth|deciduous teeth]] to make way for the [[Oral Cavity - Teeth & Gingiva - Anatomy & Physiology#Permanent Tooth|permanent teeth]] – so represents abnormal activation in adults.
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*Can have inflammatory infiltrates into the resportive lesions