Unlike multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells of bone marrow odontoblasts are not true mesenchymal cells and belong to cells of ectomesenchyme originating from the neural crest. Besides markers of the nervous tissue, in particular nestin, differentiating odontoblasts express cytokeratin 19 as well. A hypothesis was proposed that odontoblasts and their progenitors could be characterized by not only cytokeratins but another epithelial markers which can help in identifying both odontoblast progenitors (stem cells) and their niche. To test this hypothesis human dental pulp was studied. The pulp was obtained from 58 teeth extracted for ortodontal indications with pulp inflammation and disorders of the parodont. Paraffin sections were processed with antibodies which are used to identify stem cell populations (c-kit, CD 31, CD 34) as well as within the pulp (a-SMA). At the same time the expression of two epithelial antigens that are widely used to identify epithelial cells and for tumor differential diagnosis (EMA, ESA) was analyzed. Thus, our investigation was the first to show that odontoblasts as ectomesenchymal cells expressed epithelial markers and, in particular, an epithelial membrane antigen.