Effect of pulp vitality on periodontal reattachment following dentin exposure (author's transl)

Abstract

This investigation was to determine the effect of pulp vitality on the periodontal reattachment after the periodontal surgery. Four maxillary premolars in each of 6 dogs were used in this study. The left teeth were kept in the vital pulp as a control. In the experimental right teeth the pulp was extirpated and the root canals were filled with gutta percha points and root canal sealer. Four weeks later, the mucoperiosteal flaps were elevated to provide access to the attachment apparatus and the buccal radicular bone was removed about 4mm to the apex and the cementum was also scraped away completely, leaving the denuded dentine. After the application of citric and hydrochloric acids at pH 1.0 to the denuded dentin surface for 2 minutes, the flaps were sutured. The animals were sacrificed at 4 and 12 weeks postoperatively. The blood vessel topography at dentogingival junction was observed after the perfusion with a carbon-gelatin mixture prior to the sacrifice.The periodontal tissues were dissected, fixed in 10 percent formalin, decalcified, embedded in paraffin. The serial buccolingual cross sections 8-10 microns thick were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and with Masson-Goldner.The histologic finding showed a correlation between the degree of periodontal attachment and the pulp status. A obvious new alveolar bone and new cementum formation occurred in the vital teeth. On the other hand, the marked apical epithelial shift was demonstrated in the pulpless teeth. In the present study a close relationship was found between the comentogenesis and the epithelial migration. (r=-0.71)It could be concluded that the vital teeth produced better periodontal reattachment than the non-vital teeth.