Oral Biology Flashcards
Where is the pulp derived from?
Dental papilla
What is the apical delta?
Where exit/entry of vessels/nerves occurs through a number of small foraminae
What is the primary function of the pulp?
To produce dentine
What are the four zones of the pulp?
- Odontoblast layer
- Cell-free zone of Weil
- Cell-rich zone
- Pulp core
Which zone of the pulp is thought of as an artefact as not all people have it?
Cell-free done of Weil
What cells make up the cell rich zone of the pulp?
- fibroblasts
- pulpal stem cells
What is contained within the pulp core?
Blood vessels and nerves
What is the terminal web?
System of junctional complexes (e.g. desmosomes) that attach the cells tightly together
What is the function of fibroblasts?
Involved in the synthesis, turnover and breakdown of collagen and non-collagenous proteins
What are the four inflammatory cells present in the pulp?
- pulpal dendritic cells
- macrophages
- histiocytes
- lymphocytes
What receptors within the pulp result in vasoconstriction?
Alpha 1 receptors
What chemical does the nerves in the pulp release that causes vasodilation and therefore increases localised blood flow and vascular permeability?
Substance P
How does release of substance P result in sensitisation of the nerve endings?
Causes mast cells to release histamine, which sensitises the nerve endings
What fibres are mostly associated with the pulp, which are slowly conducting and give rise to slow, burning pain?
Non-myelinated C-fibres
What fibres in the pulp are myelinated and give rise to a more sharp/shooting pain?
A delta and A beta fibres
What zone of the pulp is the plexus of Raschkow found?
In the cell free zone
What stem cells can form bone or dentine and have a high proliferation rate?
Human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED cells)
What two main growth factors are present in dentine, and induce odontoblast differentiation and dentinogenesis?
- TGF-beta 1
- BMP
What are the two types of tertiary dentine?
Reactionary and reparative
What type of tertiary dentine does the pulp produce upon a mild (slowly progressing caries or tooth wear) stimulus?
Reactionary
What type of tertiary dentine does the pulp produce upon a strong caries stimulus?
Reparative
What structure is formed from pulpal stem cells during reparative tertiary dentine formation?
A dentine bridge
What structure delineates the border between the pulpal tissues and the periodontal tissues?
Cemento-dentinal junction
What are the Endo features of a maxillary central incisor?
- 3 pulp horns in pulp chamber
- single oval root canal
What is the average length of a maxillary central incisor?
22.5mm
What are the Endo features of a maxillary lateral incisor?
- no pulp horns
- single root canal
- wider chamber labio-palatally vs mesio-distally
- root apex palatally placed