OB D10 : Pulp Flashcards by Emma Williams

Describe dental pulp.

connective tissue

- Essentially a matured dental papilla

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what is dentine in relation to the pulp?

Dentine is the calcified tissue of the pulp

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What are the pulp functions?

Dentine formation
Defence and repair
Sensory

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What is the pulp always producing?

secondary dentine

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what else can the pulp produce?

reparative and reactionary tertiary dentine

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What makes up the gross anatomy of the pulp?

Pulp horns
coronal pulp chamber
radicular pulp
apical foramen

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what do pulp horns mimic?

cusps

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what is important to remember when drilling young teeth?

Dont drill far before. you hit pulp chamber as pulp is big and equally its very easy for caries to get there

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what is the aim of a root canal?

to get rid of this space and leave no infected tissue

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what is not desirable?

apical delta

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what can be a source of root canal failure?

Lateral canals are hard to see sometimes not visible til X-rays are taken after a root canal – cannot get instrument in there

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what are the similarities between pulp and connective tissue?

 Cells ‐ mainly fibroblasts.  -collagen matrix
 ground substance
 blood vessel and nerves
 75% water 25% organic

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what are the differences between pulp and connective tissue?

 Specialised cells (odontoblasts )
Contained in a rigid chamber
No fat cells
 No oxytalin fibres (?)
 No mast cells
 Blood vessels ‐ wide lumen, narrow wall 
Densely innervated

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what does inflammation cause pain in the pulp?

pulp volume cannot increase therefore inflammation cause pressure

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Describe layers of the pulp in cross section from outside to inside.

Odontoblast layer
Cell-free zone of weil
Cell rich zone
Pulp core

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Describe the odontoblast layer.

- Odontoblasts:
columnar cells (50μm long in crown) 
process in dentine
-Appears pseudostratified (appears layered but has one layer
- organelles reflect activity
- junctional complexes ‐ barrier

Name all the pulpal cells.

odontoblasts
fibroblasts
undifferentiated ectomesenchymal cells
defence cells

What cell is most numerous in the cell rich zone?

fibroblasts

Describe undifferentiated ectomesenchymal cells.

retain embryonic potential
Decrease with age
can form fibroblast or odontoblast

Name the 2 defence cells in pulp.

Macrophages

- Lymphocytes

What makes up the fibres of the pulp?

-Collagen (34% of pulp proteins)
-Of this collagen:
type 1- 56%
type III - 41%
also type V and VI
-no oxytalin fibres (elastic)

Describe the the blood supply in pulp.

-  Rich blood supply
  Contains
- Terminate in rich sub‐ odontoblastic capillary plexus
-  Venules have no valves   
- Thin walled vessels
-  High perfusion rate

where must the blood that comes into the pulp go?

come back out as cannot pool in the pulp

What does dentinal fluid contain?

proteins
glycoprotein
polysaccarides

where does fluid flow out?

outwards in opened tubules

what is the intrapulpal pressure?

10mmHg

what is the dentinal fluid flow velocity?

1-2 micrometers per second

what fluid flow changes pulpal pressure?

- Inflammation | - Vasoconstrictors

what does vasoconstrictor in LA do and why could this be a problem?

vasoconstrictors in LA reduce the blood flow in the pulp and the rate of fluid flow out of the tubules – could be bad as outward fluid flow is protective

Describe the pulpal innervation.

- rich innervation - mainly sensory ‐ i.e. afferent - also efferent post‐ganglionic sympathetic - likely no parasympathetics

what percentage if nerves are non-myelinated in the pulp?

70-80%

what makes up the rest of myelinated fibres?

– 90% Ad (1‐6 m diameter) | – 10% are AB (6‐12 m diameter)

what do nerves get towards the end?

more narrow

what is the plexus of raschkow?

classically in the cell free zone

where is the marginal plexus?

around odontoblasts