Journal of Dental Research, Vol 55, 419-425, Copyright © 1976 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Delineation of somatic nerve endings in rat teeth by radioautography of axon-transported protein
M. R. Byers and S. J. Kish
We have shown that there is extensive innervation of cusp pulp and dentin
in rat molars. The dental nerves either end freely below the odontoblast
layer or form gap junction endings on the odontobast cell body or along its
dential process. The nerves are largely absent from response dentin, are
found in contact with virtually all other odontoblasts at the tip of the
cusps, are less frequent in intercuspal regions, and are absent from root
dentin and odontoblast layers. The incisors were completely different from
the molars, perhaps because they are continuously erupting teeth. The
distribution of nerve endings in rat molars may be representative of that
in teeth of other species, but the nerve endings should be mapped
radioautographically for each type of tooth before generalizations can be
made.
