Does hypersensitive teeth show pulp inflammation?

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the presence of inflammatory response in the dental pulp of rats showing hypersensitive dentin, induced by erosive episodes. METHODS: Sixteen Wistar rats were fed with commercial sucrose-free pellet diet for 12 hours; whereas the food was removed during the remainder of the day, and the animals received mineral water or a lemon-based sucrose-free soft drink, according to the group to which they belonged. Eight animals consumed the soft drink to induce hypersensitivity, while the other 8 animals received mineral water (control). After six weeks, the animals were euthanized, the mandible was removed and subjected to a median incision in the sagittal plane, to obtain right and left hemimandibles. The slides stained with hematoxylin-eosin were analyzed using light microscopy. RESULTS: Histological evaluation of the control and experimental groups revealed no inflammatory process in the pulp tissue, and the presence of inflammatory cells, such as lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils and macrophages, was not observed. In addition, there was no edema or dilated and congested blood vessels. The Mann-Whitney test showed no significant difference (p = 1.000) between the experimental and the control groups. CONCLUSION: In the animal model used, dentin hypersensitivity does not trigger dental pulp inflammatory response.

Keywords

• Dentin; Hypersensitivity; Pulp inflammation; Animal model; Dental erosion