Inga Vaitkevičienė
Abstract
Summary
Teeth hypersensitivity is a common problem in patients with chronic periodontitis. The reasons why teeth hypersensitivity occurs in some periodontally diseased teeth are still unknown. It is possible that teeth hypersensitivity may related to changes of intradental nerve fibres. Although, the changes in the regional sensitivity of the affected teeth might depend on the morphological state as well as on the density of the innervation in the dentine and pulp, the aim of preset study was to define the pattern of nerve fibre changes in the pulps of teeth with and without teeth sensitivity in the presence of chronic periodontitis. A total of 40 cross–sectioned human dental pulp specimens were collected from non-carious, intact, permanent teeth sensitive to electric and thermal stimulus (18 hypersensitive teeth (HT) and 22 non–sensitive teeth (NST) group with severe periodontitis). The morphological and morphometric parameters were estimated using light, transmission electron microscopy. Findings of the study demonstrate that the lowest number of myelinated nerve fibers (MNF) and MNF bundles per pulp was found in NST group compared with the HT group. Light microscopic and ultrastructural analysis revealed, that the normal arrangement of nerve fibers (NF) was disrupted in the NST group. Degenerative modifications have also been noticed on the level of the NF, both on the myelinated and non-myelinated ones, with gaps, swelling and fragmentation in the myelin sheath, vacuolisations on the level of the axoplasm, accompanied by leaks of axonal substance and axonal loss. No structural changes were found in the NF of HT group teeth. The data from the present study indicate that variation of HT in teeth with periodontal pathology may be impacted by profound changes of NF.
Keyword(s): Key words: periodontitis, teeth hypersensitivity, inervation.
DOI: 10.5200/151
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