The Pulpodentine Complex 2 Flashcards
Is the pulp necessary for the function of the tooth?
Yes
What is the function of the pulp?
Functional (produces dentine)
Nutritive (Nourishes the avascular dentine)
Protective (Carries nerves that give dentine its sensitivity as well as forming barriers, inflammation and an immune response)
Reparative (Capable of producing new dentine when required)
What initiates dentine development in the pulp?
An epithelial-mesenchymal interaction (enamel epithelium induces the differentiation of odontoblasts. Odontoblasts and dentine induce the formation of enamel)
Dentine formation (odontoblasts form primary and secondaryt dentine)
What is the nutritive role of the pulp?
Supplies nutrients and moisture to the tooth which is essential for dentine formation as well as maintaining integrity of the pulp itself.
What is the protective function of the pulp?
Carries nerves that provide sensory function and proprioception
Acts as an immune system organ:
Makes fluid flow outwards which forms a barrier
Odontoblast process in tubules behave as positively charged electrogel which arrest bacterial ingress
Antigen recognition (Odontoblast TLRs, dendritic cells, and macrophages)
Cytokines, chemokines, and complements.
Innate and acquired immunity (vascular and neural involvement)
What is the reparative function of the pulp?
Continued formation of dentine. (Reactionary, reactive, and sclerotic dentine.)
What are the functions of dentine?
Protection: Forms hard tissue case surrounding the pulp together with enamel and cementum to preserve the integrity of pulp tissue. Dentine mineralization provides a reaction to external trauma (such as wear and caries), regulates the inflammatory response in the pulp (non-collagenous proteins and growth factors)
Support: Provides elasticity, strength and toughness to the tooth
Which part of dentine withstands the load?
The inorganic component
Which part of the dentine provides the soft wrap around the mineral platelets and protects them from peak stresses caused by external load?
The organic component
What part of dentine provides stiffness/strength?
Inorganic component
Which part of dentine provides toughness?
Organic component
Which part of dentine homogenizes stress distribution within the composite structure?
The organic component
How is the function of each component of the dentine distributed?
Most is carried by the mineral platelets.
Protein transfers load
How does collagen provide structural support?
It incorporates water of hydration into the triple helix of the collagen structure (2 water molecules fr each tripeptide making it swell up laterally. Water acts as a plasticizer)
How is the collagen matrix of dentine affected by hydration?
Hydrated dentine forms interpeptide hydrogen bonds preferentially with water. This fill sup interfibrillar spaces with water, expanding the overall fibril diameter and increasing the toughness.
In the absence of water interpeptide hydrogen bonds form causing loss of interfibrillar spaces and shrinkage of overall diameter of the fibrils and the stiffness.
When water is absent dentine becomes brittle and more stiff.
What blood vessels supply the teeth?
Maxillary side is supplied by the maxillary artery which is a branch of the external carotid artery.
The maxillary artery gives a superior alveolar artery which divides into posterior, middle, and anterior branches.
The maxillary artery also gives a inferior alveolar artery which supplies the mandible side.
What nerve supplies the sensory afferent innervation of the teeth?
Maxillary and inferior alveolar nerve comes from the trigeminal ganglion.
What nerve provides the sympathetic innervation of the teeth?
The superior cervical ganglion (less numerous)
What structure does the neurovascular bundle pass through to enter teeth?
The apical foramen.
How does the pulp get the microcirculation?
Arteriole - Capillary - Venule system in place which courses up through the central portion, gives off 90 degree branches laterally towards odontoblast layer, ramifies to form a capillary plexus near root dentine.
How does the coronal area of the tooth receive microvascular supply?
ACV system fans out towards the dentine. It gives rise to a dense terminal capillary network TCN in the subodontoblast region, capillaries extend into the odontoblast layer which provides a rich source of nutrients.
What efferent vessels are present in the microcirculation?
Postcapillary venules (thin walled)
Larger venules (progressively larger as they pass through the central region og the pulp)
Exit at apical foramen to drain maxillary vein posteriorly and the facial vein anteriorly
How does lymphatic drainage travel through the teeth?
Lymphatic vessels arise as small, blind, thin-walled vessels in the periphery of the pulp (not in odontoblast layer)
Travel from central coronal pulp to the root
Extensive anastomoses between lymph vessels of the pulp PDL and the alveolar bone.
Drain into regional lymph gland (submental, submandibular, and cervical)
Empty into the subclavian and internal jugular veins.
What does lymphatic drainage do to the teeth?
Drains fluids/proteins and inflammatory exudates/transudates and cellular debris
It is also important for immune defence.
What determines pulp lymph flow?
The pulp interstitial fluid pressure.
What are the components of the terminal capillary network in the pulp?
The precaillary arteriole
The calillaries
The postcapillary venule
How is blood flow to the pulp controlled?
Pre-capillary sphincter is under local cellular and sympathetic neuronal control
The local factors that control the flow include cellular metabolic demands; dentinogenesis, neuropeptide Y, Neuropeptide (symp) vasoconstriction, and nitric oxide vasodilation.
The pulp is compartmentalised so adjacent regions can have substantially different circulatory conditions.
What types of anastomoses are present in the pulpodentine complex?
Arteriovenous anastomosis connects arteriole directly to a venule
Venous-venous anastomosis connects venule directly to a venule
U-turn loop arteriole is more frequent in the radicular pulp, shunts blood away from the area of injury/inflammation especially during initial stage of inflammation
What are the characteristics of microvasculature?
They are true isolated microcirculatory networks (depend on relatively few arterioles, lack collateral, alternative blood supply, and make the apical region a critical point)
Heterogeneity within the pulp (Dense capillary networks in the periphery; peripheral vs central core areas, coronal vs apical areas)
U-turn loop arterioles
Anastomoses
What are the requirements of the microcirculation to the dental pulp?
Relatively high blood volume (3% of pulp wet weight)
Relatively high capillary density (1400/mm2 which is greater than most other tissues)
Relatively high resting pulp blood flow (Very similar blood flow rate to that of the brain and 40 - 100% of the pulp blood volume is replaced each minute)
Relatively high pulp tissue pressure (6 - 10 mmHg)
Which part of the tooth gets a higher blood flow?
The coronal part of the tooth gets nearly twice the flow of the radicular part.
What is the function of the blood supply to the dental tissue?
Homeostasis: Nutrients + O2, metabolic wastes removal, Distribute extracellular fluid and maintaining pulp blood pressure in harmony with the pulp tissue pressure.
Inflammation: Altering local capillary filtration rates, angiogenesis, and recruiting immune cells.
How do nerves enter the pulp?
through the apical foramen in bundles.
Bundles are in close proximity to pulp blood flow (neurovascular bundle)
How does the radicular region get its nerve supply differently to the coronal region?
Nerve fibers arborize peripherally as they move coronally
Few branches along the root (lack plexus of Raschkow) whereas in the coronal region the plexus of raschkow has formed.
Coronal region has dense branching (densest in the pulp horn)