Continuous Regeneration of the Dentinal Nerve-Endings

Abstract

In recent years several investigators have reported that nerve fibres have been observed growing from the dental pulp into the so-called predentine^1–5. These authors all dealt with human dentine. I published⁶ last year an account of work showing the presence of unmyelinated nerve fibres in the predentine and the tubules of the dentine also of the rat. The occurrence of these fibres in rat dentine is very irregular, and seemingly certain spots are preferred. The distribution of the sensory nerves in the higher mammals is very similar, with the exception, of course, that the pulp innervation of the continuously growing incisor⁷, and other continuously growing teeth⁶ of rodents follows a quite different pattern. I have examined freshly extracted young human teeth also, demonstrating the nerve fibre in the dentine by the slightly modified method described by Romanes⁸ using frozen sections. I found, in agreement with Weddel and Zander⁹, that pH and length of time in the different fluids are of importance.