Journal of Dental Research, Vol 71, 1908-1912, Copyright © 1992 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Histomorphometric study of the periodontal vasculature of the rat incisor
N. Blaushild, Y. Michaeli and S. Steigman
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
This study assessed quantitatively the vascular system in the
cementum-related periodontal ligament (PDL) along the rat incisor. The
lower left incisors of six rats (+/- 200 g) were subjected to routine
histological procedures and cross-sectioned serially (2 microns), and the
distance between each section and the apex was computed. The PDL of five
sections at different levels along the tooth was divided into mesial,
lingual, and lateral parts. The number and area of small and terminal
arterioles, capillaries (C), sinusoids (S), post-capillary venules (PCV),
and connecting venules, as well as the area of the PDL, were established.
Blood vessels (BV) occupied 47 +/- 2% of the PDL area in the apical half
and 4 +/- 2% at the incisal end. Of the total BV area, 41%, 32%, and 27%
were located on the lingual, mesial, and lateral tooth sides, respectively.
The majority of BV belonged to the venous system (98.5 +/- 0.6% and 82.5
+/- 3.0% in the apical and incisal parts, respectively). The apical venous
system comprised 95.4 +/- 1.6% S and 3.2 +/- 1.0% PCV, reversing to 27.2
+/- 14.2% S and 55.2 +/- 11.3% PCV in the incisal half. The number of
arterial profiles increased gradually from 6.8 +/- 1.5 at the apex to 25.3
+/- 2.4 in the incisal part and that of C from 9.0 +/- 1.18 to 25.0 +/-
4.3. The extensive vascularization in the apical half of the PDL is
consistent with the high metabolic demands and with the need for protective
cushioning of the constantly growing dental and periodontal tissues.2+_
