Archives of oral biology
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Archives of oral biology · Jun 2004
Occlusion of dentinal tubules and selective block of pulp innervation prevent the nociceptive behaviour induced in rats by intradental application of irritants.
Application of irritants on the exposed dentine of the incisors has been shown to produce aversive behaviour in awake rats. This study aims to demonstrate that the observed aversion is due to the infiltration of irritants through the dentinal tubules and the activation of capsaicin sensitive fibres in the tooth pulp. ⋯ The present results confirm the hypothesis of infiltration of irritants to the incisor pulp through the dentinal tubules and suggest that the reported inflammatory reaction and hyperalgesia are mediated, to a large extent, by capsaicin sensitive primary afferents.