A BRIEF DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE DENTAL PULP TISSUE.

1. DENTAL PULP
DR.VIGNESH R, BDS

2. DENTAL PULP - CONTENTS
■ INTRODUCTION
■ ORIGIN / DEVELOPMENT
■ MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ HISTOLOGY
■ FUNCTIONS
■ AGE CHANGES

3. INTRODUCTION
■ SOFT CONNECTIVE TISSUE PRESENT IN
THE TOOTH
■ ONLY SOFT TISSUE IN THE TOOTH
STRUCTURE
■ OCCUPIES CENTRAL PORTION OF TOOTH
■ FIBROUS, VASCULAR & INNERVATED 
ONLY VITAL TISSUE OF THE TOOTH
■ GIVES LIFE TO TOOTH

4. INTRODUCTION
■

5. ORIGIN OF DENTAL PULP
■ DEVELOPS FROM THE EMBRYONIC
DENTAL PAPILLA
■ DENTAL PAPILLA  PRIMITIVE
MESENCHYMAL TISSUE MADE OF
DELICATE FIBRILS, JUST BELOW THE
DEVELOPING ENAMEL ORGAN
■ GRADUALLY FORMS MATURE DENTAL
PULP

6. ORIGIN OF DENTAL PULP
■

7. ORIGIN OF DENTAL PULP
■

8. ORIGIN OF DENTAL PULP
■

9. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ PULP – OCCUPIES CENTRAL PORTION
OF CROWN & ROOT
■ IN CROWN  PULP OCCUPIES A
CLOSED BOX LIKE SPACE = PULP
CHAMBER
■ IN ROOT  PULP OCCUPIES A
NARROW TUBE / CANAL LIKE SPACE
= ROOT CANAL

10. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■

11. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ PULP CHAMBER  SURROUNDED ON ALL
SIDES BY DENTIN (SECONDARY DENTIN)
■ PULP IN THE PULP CHAMBER – CORONAL
PULP
■ PULP IN THE ROOT CANAL – RADICULAR
PULP
■ SHAPE OF PULP  CONFORMS TO THE
MORPHOLOGY OF THAT PARTICULAR
TOOTH

12. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ THE WHOLE VOLUME OF PULP IN A
TOOTH (CORONAL + RADICULAR) 
PULP ORGAN
■ TOTAL NO. OF PULP ORGANS IN A HUMAN
 20 DECIDUOUS + 32 PERMANENT
= 52
■ IN CROWN, PULP EXTENDS INTO CUSPS
IN THE FORM OF HORN LIKE EXTENSIONS
 PULP HORNS

13. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■

14. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ RADICULAR PULP  MORPHOLOGY &
ANATOMY OF ROOT CANALS
■ MULTIPLE CANALS  MORE NO. OF
RADICULAR PULP
■ APART FROM THE MAIN ROOT
CANALS, SOME TEETH  SMALLER
CANALS ON SIDES = LATERAL
CANALS / ACCESSORY CANALS

15. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY

16. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY
■ ROOT TIP  APEX
■ NARROW CONSTRICTION AT APEX 
APICAL CONSTRICTION
■ AT APEX, AN OPENING PRESENT  TOOTH
COMMUNICATES WITH PERI-APICAL
TISSUES = APICAL FORAMEN
■ TRANSMITS VESSESLS / NERVES TO THE
DENTAL PULP
■ NO. OF APICAL FORAMINA  DEPENDS ON
NO. OF ROOT CANALS.

17. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY

18. MORPHOLOGY & ANATOMY

19. HISTOLOGY OF PULP
■ LIES CLOSE TO DENTIN BORDER
■ FIRST FORMED DENTIN  PREDENTIN
 NOT MINERALIZED
■ BORDER OF PULP & DENTIN  CELLS
WHICH PRODUCE DENTIN =
ODONTOBLASTS
■ UNIQUE  CELL BODIES RESIDE IN
DENTAL PULP, BUT GIVE RISE TO
ANOTHER TISSUE – DENTIN

20. HISTOLOGY OF PULP
■ ■

21. HISTOLOGY OF PULP
■ UNDER LIGHT MICROSCOPE  4
ZONES IDENTIFIED IN HISTOLOGY
OF DENTAL PULP: (FROM DENTINAL
SIDE
■ ZONE OF ODONTOBLASTS
■ CELL-FREE ZONE (WEIL’S ZONE)
■ CELL-RICH ZONE
■ CORE OF PULP

22. HISTOLOGY OF PULP
■

23. HISTOLOGY OF PULP
■ ODONTOBLAST ZONE  SINGLE LAYER
OF ODONTOBLAST CELLS, THEIR LARGE
NUCLEI AT DIFFERENT LEVELS (WRONG
APPEARANCE OF MULTIPLE CELL LAYERS)
■ CELL FREE ZONE  NO CELLS (NO
NUCLEI FOUND). APPEARS CLEAR
■ CELL RICH ZONE ALL CELLULAR
ELEMENTS OF PULP
■ CORE OF PULP  FIBERS, BLOOD
VESSELS & NERVE TRUNKS

24. HISTOLOGY OF PULP

25. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ Odontoblast
■ Fibroblast
■ Undifferentiated
Ectomesenchymal Cells
■ Macrophage
■ Lymphocytes & Plasma cells
■ Mast cells
■ DEFENCE CELLS OF PULP

26. CELLULAR
ELEMENTS OF PULP
■ ODONTOBLASTS
■ SINGLE LAYER OF TALL COLUMNAR CELLS
■ LARGE NUCLEUS, AT DIFFERENT LEVELS
■ BORDER BETWEEN PULP AND DENTIN
■ DENTIN PRODUCING CELLS
■ COLUMNAR CELL BODY WITHIN PULP
■ LONG CYTOPLASMIC PROCESSES 
ODONTOBLAST PROCESS
■ LATER, DENTIN DEPOSITED AROUND THESE
PROCESSES  DENTINAL TUBULES

27. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP

28. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ THREE TYPES OF ODONTOBLASTS
BASED ON THEIR FUNCTION:
■ YOUNG / ACTIVE ODONTOBLASTS
■ OLD / RESTING ODONTOBLASTS
■ TRANSITIONAL ODONTOBLASTS
MOST PROMINENT CELL IN DENTAL
PULP BECAUSE IT GIVES RISE TO
DENTIN.

29. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ FIBROBLASTS:
■ MOST NUMEROUS CELL TYPE IN PULP
■ PRODUCE AND DESTROY COLLAGEN FIBERS
■ SMALL CELLS WITH NUCLEI
■ YOUNG / ACTIVE FIBROBLASTS –
STELLATE SHAPED WITH HYPERCHROMATIC
NUCLEUS – ACTIVE
■ OLD / RESTING CELLS – SPINDLE SHAPED
WITH FLAT NUCLEUS.

30. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ ■

31. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ UNDIFFERENTIATED MESENCHYMAL
CELLS
■ HAVE NO SPECIAL FUNCTION
■ WHENEVER EMERGENCY DENTIN
PRODUCTION REQUIRED THESE
CELLS DIFFERENTIATE INTO
ODONTOBLASTS  PRODUCE DENTIN

32. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP
■ DEFENCE CELLS
■ PLASMA CELLS
■ LYMPHOCYTES
■ MACROPHAGES
■ MAST CELLS
■ ASSIGNMENT – REFER TEXT AND
PREPARE BRIEF NOTES ON EACH
CELL – STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

33. CELLULAR ELEMENTS OF
PULP

34. MATRIX OF THE PULP
■ FIBERS
■ Collagen
• 55% Type I
• 45% Type III
■ GROUND SUBSTANCE
–Glycosaminoglycan
–Proteoglycans
–Water
Typical of Loose CT

35. VASCULATURE OF THE PULP
■ Innervation of the Pulp
• Sub-Odontoblastic Plexus
• PLEXUS OF RASCHKOW – LOCATION
????
■ Myelinated Fibers
■ Larger; Faster
■ Mediate Sharp, Localized Pain
■ Non-Myelinated Fibers
■ Smaller; Slower

36. AGE CHANGES IN PULP
■ PULP STONES (DENTICLES)
■ DIFFUSE CALCIFICATIONS
■ FIBROSIS
■ REDUCED CELLULARITY
■ REDUCED VOLUME
■ REDUCED VASCULARITY

37. PULP STONES
■ CALCIFICATIONS WITHIN DENTAL
PULP – AS CONCENTRIC NODULES
■ MAY BE TRUE (RESEMBLE DENTIN)
■ OR FALSE
■ MAY BE FREE, ATTACHED OR
EMBEDDED

38. PULP STONES
■

39. PULP STONES

40. DIFFUSE CALCIFICATIONS
■ NO SHAPE
■ DYSTROPHIC CLACIFICATIONS
■ LIE FREE WITHIN THE PULP

41. FIBROSIS
■ YOUNG PULP  VERY CELLULAR.
FIBROBLASTS MORE, FIBERS LESS
■ OLDER PULP  FIBROBLASTS LESS,
FIBERS MORE, THICK BUNDLES.
■ WHEN THE WHOLE PULPAL
CONNECTIVE TISSUE IS FILLED WITH
DENSE BUNDLES OF FIBERS 
FIBROSIS OF PULP

42. FUNCTIONS
■ FORMATIVE
■ PROTECTIVE
■ SENSORY
■ NUTRITIVE
■ INDUCTIVE

43. CLINICAL ASPECTS
■ WHAT PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE
DURING CAVITY CUTTING?
■ WHAT IS ROOT CANAL TREATMENT?
■ WHAT IS PULPITIS?