AbstractThe effect of a single diabetogenic dose of alloxan on the ameloblasts of enamel secretion was investigated in rat incisor teeth prior to the onset of diabetes mellitus. This was compared with tissue from animals that were sacrificed at the onset of diabetes, and with tissue from animals that had been diabetic for 1 month. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were given a single subcutaneous injection of alloxan at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight; and the animals were sacrificed at 45 minutes, 2 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 29 days after injection. At the electron microscope level the following changes were observed. There was an early accumulation of secretion granules in the vicinity of the Golgi apparatus and within the proximal portion of Tomes' process. These accumulations were present at the onset of diabetes, 24 hours later. At 2 hours after injection a space appeared between the plasma membrane around Tomes' process and the interrod material. This space widened with time, and at 24 hours after injection it became continuous with enlarged intercellular spaces between the proximal portions of Tomes' processes. The widening of the intercellular space was restricted to the area above the distal cell web. At the onset of diabetes this compartment of the cells was similar to that of the control samples. Extracellular material which appeared to be the secretory product of the ameloblast was observed at two sites. On one occasion this material was seen in the wide intercellular spaces between the proximal portions of Tomes' processes 24 hours after injection. It was also seen at the onset of diabetes in the intercellular space at the level of the Golgi apparatus. The changes in the animals that had been diabetic for 1 month were a scarcity of secretion granules within Tomes' processes and an abnormal accumulation of secretion granules within the supranuclear and infranuclear compartents.This study has shown that the toxic effect of alloxan persists up to the time of onset of diabetes mellitus. However, since different morphological changes were observed during diabetes mellitus, it is suggested that the changes caused by diabetes are a separate entity, initially superimposed on and later replacing the acute, toxic effect of the dru