Odontoblast aspiration and fluid movement in human dentine

Abstract

To investigate further a possible relationship between odontoblast aspiration and fluid movement in dentine, axial coronal dentine was exposed by disk cut and fracture and subjected to reduced pressure in vitro. Sections showed that odontoblast aspiration had occurred into dentine, the peripheral part of which had been exposed by fracture, in 95 per cent of teeth which had been treated in the above manner. Observation of fluid movement from the exposed fractured dentine was not possible. However, indirect evidence suggested that outward movement of fluid from the dentine had occurred. The results differed from those obtained previously ( Stevenson, 1965) when cuspal and occlusal dentine was exposed and treated similarly, and suggest that reduced pressure may have different effects on axial and coronal dentine exposed by fracture, and on the pulp beneath.