Robert Kiger

Experimentally Induced Alterations in Periapical Tissues of the Cat

Ten cats were immunized with subcutaneous injections of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). After it was determined that the experimental animals had developed circulating antibodies to KLH, challenge doses of KLH were administered via the root canal system. The radiographic and histologic findings suggest that antigen-antibody complex reactions can occur in periapical tissues of teeth, and that they can play a role in the pathogenesis of periapical lesions. In contrast, no radiographic and histologic changes were noted in non-immunized cats.

A histologic evaluation of dental pulp tissue of a patient with periodontal disease.

Clinical and histologic examination of twenty-five teeth of a patient with varying degrees of attachment loss resulting from periodontal disease showed no correlation between the severity of periodontal disease and morphologic changes of the pulp tissue.