Pediatric Dentistry II Exam Practice

In connective tissue, the key resident cell type responsible for making and maintaining the extracellular matrix is the fibroblast. These spindle-shaped cells are found throughout connective tissue proper, actively synthesizing collagen, elastin, and the ground substance that give connective tissue its strength and resilience. They’re central to tissue repair as well, transforming into contractile myofibroblasts during wound healing to help close and remodel the tissue.

Erythrocytes are red blood cells circulating in blood vessels, not the matrix-producing cells of connective tissue proper. Neurons belong to nervous tissue and are specialized for signaling. Osteocytes are bone cells embedded in mineralized bone matrix, a specific type of connective tissue, but they are more specialized to bone than the general resident cell type that characterizes connective tissue proper. For these reasons, fibroblasts are the best answer.