Components of the Teeth - Dentine and Pulp Flashcards
give a brief outline on dentine and its features
dentine forms the bulk of the tooth, and is harder than both bone and cementum. it is softer than enamel.
it has great compressive and tensile strength. it is permeable, contains cell processes (making it a living tissue) and is yellowish in colour
describe the importance of the compressive and tensile strength of dentine
it is important for the cushioning of enamel
explain how dentine is permeable
it contains tubules. if the dentine is exposed, any material that can be exposed to the dentine will pass through it and go to the pulp. the permeability of the dentine depends on the depth
give a breakdown of the different components of dentine
- hydroxyapatite makes up about 70% of the weight, and 50% of the volume
- water makes up about 10% weight, 20% volume
- organic matrix makes up about 20% weight and 30% volume
what are the different contents of the dentinal tubules
odontoblast processes, unmyelinated nerve terminals, dendritic cells, and dentinal fluid
give a brief description of pulp and its contents
- pulp is the connective tissue “core” of the tooth.
- it contains cells, extracellular components, nerves, blood vessels and lymphatics
what cells are found in the pulp of the tooth
odontoblasts, fibroblasts, defence cells
what are the extracellular components of the dental pulp
fibres like collagen and oxytalan
the matrix, which includes proteoglycans, chondroitin, dermatan
what nerves are found in the pulp of the tooth
the peripheral nerve which is innervated by one of the trigeminal nerves
what are the different functions of dental pulp
nutrition
dentine growth
dentine repair
defence (immune cells and the lymphatic drainage system)
neural functions (sensory and control of dentinogenesis)
what is the difference between weight composition and volume composition associated with
the density of the different components
what is the mineral content of dentine like compared to enamel
there is less mineral content within dentine
what is the content of water and organic content like in dentine compared to enamel
there is more water and organic content in dentine compared to enamel
what can loss of water content in a tooth lead to
fragility in the dry tooth, as it is the dehydrated dentine that leads to this fragility, rather than the enamel.
what can the pulp be thought of as in relation to the tooth
it is like the core, the vascular bed of the tooth
how can the strength of a tooth after a root canal be compared to the strength before
it is weaker post root canal due to the loss of hydration after the removal of the pulp. this makes the restorative process more complex
in what direction does dentine grow
the dentinal tubules grow inward over time
what can be understood by the term lumen
the lumen is the space within “tubes” of the body, like tubules in dentine, veins, arteries etc. it is essentially just space where things can move
how does the shape of dentine change over time
the tubules slowly grow inward
what are the different shapes of dentine tubules found within normal dentine
narrow and wide are both found within the dentin. wide tubules are close to the pulp, and narrow tubules are near to the ameli dentino junction
what are the different ways that slides can be prepared for viewing dental tubules
there are ground sections, and demineralised sections. in the demineralised sections, a special treatment like an acid or chelating agent is used to remove the mineral content, and this can use the 30% of organic content within the dentin to stain pinkish. for ground staining, it is sanded down from either side, and any cells will no longer be there, but it is possible to see where the cells were due to the presence of black dots
what are the s shapes of the tubules that can be viewed when looking at the cross section of dentine
these are the tubules which run from the amelo dentino junction to the pulp. there are primary and secondary curvatures of the dentine - the primary is the s shape that they adopt. secondary curvature are smaller curves that can be viewed on the primary curvature which show the changed direction of odontoblasts
why is it important to note that the dentinal tubules adopt an s shape when going from the amelo dentino junction to the pulp
because any damage will not be linear, since the damage will travel along the s shape.
can you see dentine and pulp as separate things
not really unless you are looking to a restorative procedure
describe the inside of the pulp
it is a connective tissue, with fibroblasts being the intrinsic cell found within.
describe the production of dentine
odontoblasts function to produce dentine. the production of dentine is special because it means the space is reduced over time since it grows inward. the odontoblasts produce the matrix that mineralises into dentine, known as predentine.
what is the difference between dentine and predentine
dentine is just mineralised predentine
what can be understood by globular dentine
this is dentine before it has been completely mineralised
how are tubules formed
each odontoblast is responsible for a tubule, and each one will send an arm into the dentine which creates a tubule and produces a matrix. as more is produced, the arm moves further away
where can sensory unmyelinated nerve terminals be located in tubules
in some sections of the tissue
what can be found within the dentine
sensory unmyelinated nerve terminals
dendritic cells from the immune system
dentinal fluid
dentinal tubules which provide the nutrients
what cells can be found within the pulp
odontoblasts, fibroblasts and defence cells
what are the extracellular components of dental pulp
fibres like collagen and oxytalan
the matrix with proteoglycans, chondroitin, dermatan
what are proteoglycans
proteins with glycosaminoglycans attached to them, found mainly in connective tissue to provide structural support and hydration
what are glycoproteins
these are proteins with carbohydrates (sugars), where the stem is a protein chain and there are polysaccharide structures attached to it
what are glycoprotein structure and function
protein with short, simple oligosaccharide molecules attached to them.
found in cell membranes to provide receptoin, adhesion and transport.
what else can be located within the pulp that aid with the function of the pulp
lymphatics, which are a drainage system, and blood vessels
what are the functions of dental pulp
they provide nutrition, growth and repair of dentine. they also provide defence
how does the pulp repair the dentine
when dentine becomes exposed, there is a reaction from the odontoblasts to close the tubules. this is the repair action. this can also produce more dentin, but a strange form of dentine that lacks any tubules which is known as tertiary dentine
how does the pulp defend the tooth
through immune cells and lymphatics (support of the defence system)
how are nerve cells involved in pulp function
these have a sensory function but also help control of more dentine generation
what is dentinogenesis
the generation of dentin
describe the role of blood vessels within pulp
they are present but they do not perforate the dentine. this means there is a space between where the dentine is and where the odontoblasts are. this is important as it represents when you have gone from pulp to dentine.
how does tissue react to damage
there is redness, swelling, pain and heat ie an inflammatory response
what happens when there is damage to the pulp which leads to swelling
the swelling is in an enclosed space, where pressure will build up as there is an increasing volume that cant be controlled. the increased pressure of the tissue means that blood vessels cant work properly and are unable to exchange components like nutrients. this leads to stagnation of the system, which leads to cell starvation of the pulp
what can dentine be though of as
the mineralised connective tissue that forms the bulk of the tooth
how does the size of hydroxyapatite crystals in enamel compare to the size in dentine
they are smaller in dentine than in enamel
what can be found within the dentinal tubule
the odontoblast processes, dentinal fluid, a nerve fibre and a process from a dendritic cell
how is tertiary dentine formed
the recruitment of stem cells lying in the dental pulp in response to trauma
how does the combination of enamel and dentine aid the mouth
it provides a rigid, hard structure suitable for chewing and tearing that resists both abrasion and fracture
does dentine stop growing once the tooth has erupted
no, it develops throughout life at the expense of the pulp, as it grows inward
is dentine considered to be sensitive
yes
what is predentine compared to dentine
the unmineralised layer of dentine matrix at the pulpal surface
where does the cell body of odontoblasts lie
at the periphery of the dental pulp
what are the reasons for dentine and pulp being approached as a dentine-pulp complex
- they both originate from the dental papilla
- the structures pass from the dental pulp to the dentinal tubules like cell bodies of odontoblasts, nerve fibres and dendritic processes of the antigen presenting cells
- tissue fluid that passes along the dentinal tubules is derived from the vasculature of the dental pulp
- the responsiveness of dentine to the external stimuli resulting in the formation of tertiary dentine is mediated by the recruitment of stem cells within the dental pulp
why is dentine more resistant to the propagation of cracks than enamel
because of the intimate associated of the small apatite crystals with strong protein fibres. cracking will only occur in dentine when it has been weakened by caries or cavity preparation
which stresses are more likely to result in the fracture of dentine
those that are parallel to the direction of the tubules
what are the chemical properties of dentine
- consists of apatite crystals on an organic scaffold predominantly composed of collagen
- inorganic mineral component is in the form of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals
- crystallites are calcium poor and carbon rich in comparison to the pure hydroxyapatite, and are much smaller than those in enamel
- the crystallites also contain fluoride
- hydroxyapatite crystallites in mineralised dentine are found on and between collagen fibrils
where are the hydroxyapatite crystallites in the mineralised dentine foud
on and between the collagen fibrils
what do most of the collagen fibrils run in the direction of
they run in the direction parallel to the pulpal surface