Gunnar Bergenholtz

Immune Defense Mechanisms of the Dental Pulp

Defense reactions of the dentin/pulp complex involve a variety of biological systems, in which the immune system plays a pivotal role. The knowledge of the organization and function of pulpal immunocompetent cells has been sparse, but in recent years a significant body of information of immune mechanisms in general has provided a footing for substantial new knowledge of the immune mechanisms of the dental pulp. The identification of pulpal dendritic cells (DCs) has generated research activities which have led to a concept of how an antigenic challenge may evoke a pulpal inflammatory response. Although DCs are not able to identify foreign antigens specifically, they provide necessary signals to activate T-lymphocytes which in turn will orchestrate other immunocompetent cells to mount the local immune defense of the dental pulp. The purpose of this review is to accent the organization and function of pulpal DCs and other tissue and cellular components and to provide a basis for how they may interact to instigate pulpal defense mechanisms.

Evidence for bacterial causation of adverse pulpal responses in resin-based dental restorations.

The widespread use of resin and resin-monomers for bonding of dental restorations to dentin has occurred because of a fundamental shift in the view that injury to the pulp is induced by restorative procedures. While, for many years, the toxic effects of restorative materials were thought to be of crucial importance in the development of adverse pulpal responses, the key role of bacterial leakage at the restoration-tooth interface is now well-recognized. Consequently, if optimal conditions for the preservation of pulpal health are to be ensured, dental restorations should provide an impervious seal against the surrounding tooth structure. However, polymerization shrinkage and contraction stresses induced during setting, as well as a variety of technical difficulties encountered during the clinical operation, often produce less than perfect results. Therefore, modern restorative procedures involving resin and resin-bonded restoratives must still rely on the ability of the pulp to cope with the injurious elements to which it may be exposed during and after the procedure. This review examines factors that may govern the pulps response to restorative procedures that involve adhesive technologies. An assessment is made of the risks involved as far as the continued vital function of the pulp is concerned. It is concluded that an intact, although thin, wall of primary dentin often enables the pulp to overcome both toxic material effects and the influences of bacterial leakage. In contrast, the pulp may not do equally well following capping of open exposures with resin composites. A dearth of controlled clinical studies in this area of dentistry calls for confirmation that pulpal health prevails over the long term following the use of total-etch and resin-bonding techniques.

Controversies in Endodontics

Diseases of the dental pulp often have an infectious origin, and treatments are aimed to control infections of the root canal system. Endodontic treatment principles originally evolved on the basis of trial and error, and only in recent decades have scientific methods been adopted to support clinical strategies. Yet, relevant research on the disease processes, their diagnoses, and efficient treatment are rare in the endodontic literature. Hence, the advancement of biologically based knowledge significant to clinical endodontics has been slow. Therefore, many differences of opinion still prevail in this field of dentistry. This review highlights and analyzes the background of some of the more heavily debated issues in recent years. Specifically, it deals with disagreements regarding the clinical management of pulpal exposures by caries in the adult dentition, definitions of success and failure of endodontic therapy, and causes of and measures to control infections of the root canal system. Clearly, a most apparent gap in the published endodontic literature is the lack of randomized clinical trials that address the more significant controversial matters relating to the management of pulpal wounds, medication, and the number of appointments required for the treatment of infected root canals. However, trials in endodontics require extremely long follow-up periods if valid conclusions are to be generated. Therefore, it is not to be expected that there will be rapid solutions to these issues in the foreseeable future.

Pathogenic Mechanisms in Pulpal Disease

The unpredictable response of the dental pulp to clinical insults is frequently encountered in the daily practice of dentistry. Even though the pulp often shows remarkable capacity for recovery, painful symptoms and pulp tissue breakdown may follow such clinical insults as caries, dental trauma, or operative dental procedures. In recent years pulp biology research has provided a deeper insight into the basic mechanisms that govern pulpal defense and repair. This communication focuses on dentin permeability to bacterial antigens and how bacterial elements may be processed and dealt with by the dentin-dental pulp complex.

The effects of antimicrobials on endodontic biofilm bacteria

INTRODUCTION In the present study, confocal microscopy, a miniflow cell system, and image analysis were combined to test in situ the effect of antimicrobials and alkali on biofilms of Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus paracasei, Streptococcus anginosus, and Streptococcus gordonii isolated from root canals with persistent infections. METHODS Biofilms formed for 24 hours were exposed for 5 minutes to alkali (pH = 12), chlorhexidine digluconate (2.5%), EDTA (50 mmol/L), and sodium hypochlorite (1%). The biofilms were then characterized by using fluorescent markers targeting cell membrane integrity (LIVE/DEAD) and metabolic activity (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride and fluorescein diacetate). In addition, the biofilm architecture and the extent to which coating of the substrate surface with collagen influenced the resistance pattern to the chemicals were also analyzed. RESULTS NaOCl (1%) affected the membrane integrity of all organisms and removed most biofilm cells. Exposure to EDTA (50 mmol/L) affected the membrane integrity in all organisms but failed to remove more than a few cells in biofilms of E. faecalis, L. paracasei, and S. anginosus. Chlorhexidine (2.5%) had a mild effect on the membrane integrity of E. faecalis and removed only 50% of its biofilm cells The effects were substratum-dependent, and most organisms displayed increased resistance to the antimicrobials on collagen-coated surfaces. CONCLUSIONS The biofilm system developed here was sensitive and differences in cell membrane integrity and removal of biofilm cells after exposure to antimicrobials commonly used in endodontics was discernible.

Inflammatory response of the dental pulp to bacterial irritation

The response of the dental pulp to a carious lesion may involve both specific and nonspecific inflammatory reactions. Nonreversible tissue damage as well as repair and healing can result. Information is presented regarding possible mechanisms involved in the development of pulpitis in relation to infection in dentin. Data from animal experiments are presented; both the immediate and late responses of the pulp tissues are studied. These pulpal responses were produced by bacterial and antigenic substances allowed to penetrate through intact but exposed dentin.

Incidence of pulp necrosis subsequent to pulp canal obliteration from trauma of permanent incisors.

Little long-term data are available on the frequency by which pulp canal obliteration (PCO) subsequent to trauma leads to pulp necrosis (PN). In this study, 82 concussed, subluxated, extruded, laterally luxated, and intruded permanent incisors presenting with PCO were followed for a period of 7 to 22 yr (mean 16 yr). At final clinical examination, 51% of the observed teeth responded normally to electric pulp testing (EPT). An additional 40% of the teeth although not responding to EPT were clinically and radiographically within normal limits. Yellow discoloration was a frequent finding. During the observation period, periapical bone lesions suggesting PN developed in seven teeth (8.5%). Twenty-yr pulp survival rate was 84%, as determined from life-table calculations. There was no higher frequency of PN in obliterated teeth subjected to caries, new trauma, orthodontic treatment, or complete crown coverage than intact teeth. Although the incidence of PN in teeth displaying PCO seems to increase over the course of time, prophylactic endodontic intervention on a routine basis does not seem justified.

Influence of apical overinstrumentation and overfilling on re-treated root canals.

A clinical radiographic follow-up investigation was conducted to determine the effect of overinstrumentation and overfilling on re-treated root canals. If the root canal was reamed through the apex, and if the root filling was overfilled during the treatment procedure, a significantly lower frequency of completely regenerated periapical lesions was observed than if these two complications did not occur. Simultaneously, a significantly higher frequency of new periapical lesions also developed in a group of roots treated for technical indications.

Diagnosis of the condition of the dental pulp: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of signs/symptoms and tests used to determine the condition of the pulp in teeth affected by deep caries, trauma or other types of injury. Radiographic methods were not included. The electronic literature search included the databases PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Reviews from January 1950 to June 2011. The complete search strategy is given in an Appendix S1 (available online as Supporting Information). In addition, hand searches were made. Two reviewers independently assessed abstracts and full-text articles. An article was read in full text if at least one of the two reviewers considered an abstract to be potentially relevant. Altogether, 155 articles were read in full text. Of these, 18 studies fulfilled pre-specified inclusion criteria. The quality of included articles was assessed using the QUADAS tool. Based on studies of high or moderate quality, the quality of evidence of each diagnostic method/test was rated in four levels according to GRADE. No study reached high quality; two were of moderate quality. The overall evidence was insufficient to assess the value of toothache or abnormal reaction to heat/cold stimulation for determining the pulp condition. The same applies to methods for establishing pulp status, including electric or thermal pulp testing, or methods for measuring pulpal blood circulation. In general, there are major shortcomings in the design, conduct and reporting of studies in this domain of dental research.

Structural and Functional Association between Substance P- and Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide-immunoreactive Nerves and Accessory Cells in the Rat Dental Pulp

Defense mechanisms of the dentin/pulp complex involve a variety of biological systems in which immunocompetent cells, the nervous system, and the vascular supply play important roles. In the present study, pulpal accessory cells were examined regarding (i) their structural relationship to nerves and (ii) how the functional capacities of these cells were affected by neuropeptides. Micro-anatomic association was investigated in the normal rat molar pulp with the use of double-immunofluorescence staining and dual-channel confocal laser scanning microscopy. Examinations of confocal laser scanning microscopic images from single focal planes revealed the presence of apparent contacts between thin, varicose nerve fibers and immunocompetent cells, indicating proximity between these two structures. The close associations were most frequently observed in the para-odontoblastic region of the coronal pulp, where more than 70% of class II antigen-expressing (OX6+) cells showed proximity to nerve fibers immunoreactive to calcitonin gene-related peptide. The corresponding figure for substance P was about 50%. ED2+ macrophages closely associated with nerves were less frequently observed. Functional studies conducted in vitro demonstrated that 10-9 to 10-7 mol/L of substance P significantly increased (p < 0.05), while 10-7 to 10-6 mol/L of calcitonin gene-related peptide suppressed (p < 0.01) proliferation of purified T-lymphocytes stimulated with sub-optimal concentrations of concanavalin A in the presence of rat incisor pulpal cells as accessory cells. These data suggest that pulpal sensory nerve fibers and their products may have an influence upon the immune defense of the dental pulp.