PULP CAVITIE
Introduction
• "Not all can be seen by observing the surface" is a statement
that is sometimes equated to icebergs, but is likewise applicable
to teeth, since only their surface features are evident to clinical
inspection.
• A large segment of dental practice, namely endodontia, is
directly concerned with the "hidden" portion of a tooth.
• The name, endodontia, implies "inside a tooth", thereby
involving the treatment of the pulp cavity and its tissues.
The Pulp Tissue and Pulp Cavity
Introduction
It is not the purpose of this section to preempt the basic sciences by
describing pulp histology and physiology in detail. Hence, only a very
brief review of the salient features will be presented.
Anatomy of the Pulp Cavity
The pulp tissue is the soft connective tissue which is found in the
central portion of the tooth, entirely surrounded by dentin.
The cavity, or space, in which the pulp tissue is located is divided into the
following anatomical entities:
1. Pulp cavity - The pulp cavity is the entire central space in the dentin of a
tooth, both root and crown, which contains the pulp tissue in a vital
tooth.
2. Pulp chamber - The portion of the pulp cavity which is located roughly in
the anatomical crown of the tooth.
3. Pulp canal(s) - The section of the pulp cavity which is located basically in
the anatomical root of the tooth, or in other words, that portion which is
apical to the pulp chamber. Another term which is appropriate is root canal.
4. Pulp horn(s) - The pulp horns are the pointed incisal (occlusal) limits of
the pulp cavity and pulp chamber, which actually look like horns in many
cases. They often reflect the lobe and cusp pattern of a tooth's crown.
5. Apical foramen (pl.-foramina) - The constricted opening(s), at, or
near the root apex, through which the main nutrient and nervous
supply to the pulp enter and exit.
6. Lateral (Accessory) canals - Minute canals which usually extend in a
lateral or roughly horizontal direction from the pulp to the periodontal
membrane. They are most often found in the apical half of the root,
and are a minor source of nutrient supply to the pulp.
7. Supplementarv canal - A root canal, or branch, which is in excess of
the normal number of root canals found in a root. They serve the same
functions as the main root canal(s), but are not present in all teeth.
8. Anastomosis (pl.-anastomoses) - An extra canal branch which
horizontally connects pulp canals with each other, or with
supplementary canals
Physiology of the Pulp Tissue
The pulp tissue functions in four major capacities for the dental organ:
1. Formation of dentin
2. Nutrition
3. Sensation
4. Defense and Protection
Changes in the pulp cavity with age:
As previously indicated, the pulp tissue maintains the capacity to
produce dentin as long as the pulp remains vital. This is secondary
dentin, as contrasted to the primary dentin produced during tooth
development.
Secondary dentin production reduces the dimensions of the pulp cavity,
which may be either in the form of a general reduction in size
(physiological), or specific to an area of stimulation (reparative).
When one, or both of these processes is occurring, pulp cavity
dimensions are reduced.
In the young tooth, the pulp horns are prominent elongations of the
pulp chamber. With age, these extensions are often blunted, and
sometimes even obliterated, so that the teeth of older individuals may
not exhibit pulp horns.
The same is true of the remainder of the pulp cavity, so that as the
tooth ages, the pulp cavity normally decreases in size.
Sectioning of the Pulp Cavity
In the remaining text of this unit, pulp cavity anatomy will be described
for individual permanent teeth. It is necessary, then, to briefly discuss
the various views of the pulp cavity which may be produced by sections
through different areas of the tooth.
Pulp Cavities of the
Individual Permanent
Teeth
MANDIBULAR TEETH
