• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.464-473
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• 2019

For dental pulp treatment of immature permanent teeth, direct pulp capping or partial/cervical pulpotomy (apexogenesis) procedures can be used if the dental pulp is vital. MTA (Mineral Trioxide Aggregate) is regarded as the first choice dressing material for these procedures because its higher success rate. It can be also used successfully for devitalized dental pulp which has been treated by calcium hydroxide. This apexification procedure with MTA has a few advantage such as short treatment period and increase of resistance against root fracture. Recently, regenerative endodontic treatment was introduced for devitalized immature pulp. It can maintain pulp vitality and lead to continuing root development although the dental pulp was devitalized.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2016

Purpose: Wnt signaling plays an essential role in the dental epithelium and mesenchyme during tooth morphogenesis. Deletion of the Wntless (Wls) gene in odontoblasts appears to reduce canonical Wnt activity, leading to inhibition of odontoblast maturation. However, it remains unclear if autonomous Wnt ligands are necessary for differentiation of dental pulp cells into odontoblast-like cells to induce reparative dentinogenesis, one of well-known feature of pulp repair to form tertiary dentin. Materials and Methods: To analyze the autonomous role of Wls for differentiation of dental pulp cells into odontoblast-like cells, we used primary dental pulp cells from unerupted molars of Wls-floxed allele mouse after infection with adenovirus for Cre recombinase expression to knockout the floxed Wls gene or control GFP expression. The differentiation of dental pulp cells into odontoblast-like cells was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Result: Proliferation rate was significantly decreased in dental pulp cells with Cre expression for Wls knockout. The expression levels of Osterix (Osx), runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and nuclear factor I-C (Nfic) were all significantly decreased by 0.3-fold, 0.2-fold, and 0.3-fold respectively in dental pulp cells with Wls knockout. In addition, the expression levels of Bsp, Col1a1, Opn, and Alpl were significantly decreased by 0.7-fold, 0.3-fold, 0.8-fold, and 0.6-fold respectively in dental pulp cells with Wls knockout. Conclusion: Wnt ligands produced autonomously are necessary for proper proliferation and odontoblastic differentiation of mouse dental pulp cells toward further tertiary dentinogenesis.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.8
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• pp.1204-1209
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• 2012

To diagnose dental pulp vitality, electric pulp tester has been widely used, which is a method to test condition of nerve. However, especially in the case of patients with trauma, nerve desensitization could temporarily occur even though nerve might be recovered by blood flow within the pulp later, which implies that blood flow in dental pulp is also an important factor for diagnosing vitality. This paper described the development of a probe that relatively measured blood flow in dental pulp using photoplethysmography (PPG). The probe emits four different wavelength light sources including three visible and an infrared light. We tested which light source detect sensitively the blood flow in dental pulp. As a result, green light had the largest peak to peak voltage and the power spectrum among different wavelengths.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2011

Purpose: Exact knowledge of the location and dimension of the pulp chamber help to maintain the pulp healthy during operative procedure and also reduces the risk of perforation of pulp chamber during root canal treatment. This in-vivo study was carried out to measure critical morphology of pulp chamber of mandibular molar using intra-oral periapical radiograph. Materials and Methods: Mandibular molar teeth of 56 patients were evaluated. The mandibular molar teeth whose pulp chamber was not violated by caries, restoration, fracture crown and those having closed apex were included in the study. The intraoral periapical radiographs were taken with paralleling angle technique using radio-opaque grid with 1 mm space. This grid was placed directly on the film. Results: In 94% of the mandibular first molars specimens the pulp chamber ceiling was at the level of the cemento-enamel junction. The measurements showing the lowest percentage variance were buccal cusp to furcation (approximately 11%) and buccal cusp to pulp chamber ceiling (approximately 15%). The distance from the cusp tip to pulp chamber ceiling height was approximately 6.0 mm, the distance from the pulpal floor to the furcation was approximately 3.0 mm, and the average height of a pulp chamber was 1.5 to 2.0 mm. Conclusion: The exact knowledge of distances of pulp chamber from various anatomical landmarks helps in proper assessment of root canals and ultimately avoids the failure of root canal treatment.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.89-95
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• 1985

The intact dental pulps which were free of their tooth bud from adult rat incisors, and oral mucosa were transplanted subcutaneously in homologous rats to study the formation of calcified tissue. The rat were sacrificed after 1,2,3 and 4 weeks following transplantation of dental pulp and oral mucosa. The samples which contained the transplanted and surrounding tissue were fixed in 10% NBF, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, alizarin red S, von Kossa, and alcian blue. Microscopic examinstins revealed as follows: 1. The transplanted oral mucosas were not calcified but tended to form the epithelial cysts. 2. At 1 week after transplantation of dental pulp the calcified structures were appeared at the periphery of the transplantation of dental pulp but weakly reacted to alizarin red S, von Kossa, and alcian blue. 3. At 2 weeks after transplantation of dental pulp the calcified structures began to expand from the periphery to the center of the transplanted dental pulp and occupied the large areas comparatively, and strongly reacted to alizarin red S, and von Kossa stains. 4. At 3 weeks after transplantation of pulp tissue the fibrous components were grown at the periphery of the transplanted pulp tissuesand at 4 weeks a large amount of fibrous tissues were observed. The transplanted pulp tissue tended to form foreign bodies gradually.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2016

Dental pulp is a highly vascularized tissue with high regenerative potential. Revascularization of severed vasculature in the tooth is required for pulp healing during avulsed tooth treatment. In this study, the relative expression of angiogenesis-related proteins was determined in human dental pulp cells using a human angiogenesis proteome profiler array. The proteome profiler array detected differentially expressed angiogenesis-related factors under conditions of hypoxia, which enhances the angiogenic potential of dental pulp cells. We confirmed that hypoxia regulates the mRNA expression of angiogenesis-related factors, including CXCL16 in dental pulp cells. Furthermore, conditioned media of hypoxic pulp cells induced tube-like structures of vascular endothelial cells, which were reduced by the neutralization of CXCL16 function. In conclusion, our data show that angiogenesis-related factors are differentially expressed by hypoxia in dental pulp cells and suggest that CXCL16 may involve in the revascularization of hypoxic dental pulp.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2010

Complex human tissues harbor stem cells and precursor cells, which are responsible for tissue development or repair. Recently, dental tissues such as dental pulp, periodontal ligament (PDL), dental follicle have been identified as easily accessible sources of undifferentiated cells. These tissues contain mesenchymal stem cells that can be differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat or muscle by exposing them to specific growth conditions. In this study, the authors procured the stem cell from pulp, PDL, and dental follicle and differentiate them into osteoblast and examine the bone induction capacity. Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC), periodontal ligament stem cell (PDLSC), and dental follicle precursor cell (DFPC) were obtained from human 3rd molar and cultured. Each cell was analyzed for presence of stem cell by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACs) against CD44, CD105 and CD34, CD45. Each stem cell was cultured, expanded and grown in an osteogenic culture medium to allow formation of a layer of extracellular bone matrix. Osteogenic pathway was checked by alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity test and RT-PCR for ALP and osteocalcin (OCN) gene expression. According to results from FACs, mesenchymal stem cell existed in pulp, PDL, and dental follicle. As culturing with bone differentiation medium, stem cells were differentiated to osteoblast like cell. Compare with stem cell from pulp, PDL and dental follicle-originated stem cell has more osteogenic effect and it was assumed that the character of donor cell was able to affect on differential potency of stem cell. From this article, we are able to verify the pulp, PDL, and dental follicle from extracted tooth, and these can be a source of osteoblast and stem cell for tissue engineering.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.370-377
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to regenerate human dental pulp tissues similar to native pulp tissues. Using the mixture of type I collagen solution, primary cells collected from the different tissues (pulp, gingiva, and skin) and NIH 3T3 ($1{\;}{\times}{\;}10^5{\;}cells/ml/well$) were cultured at 12-well plate at $37^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. Standardized photographs were taken with digital camera during 14 days and the diameter of the contracted collagen gel matrix was measured and statistically analyzed with student t-test. As one of the pulp tissue engineering, normal human dental pulp tissue and collagen gel matrix cultured with dental pulp cells for 14 days were fixed and stained with Hematoxyline & Eosin. According to this study, the results were as follows: 1. The contraction of collagen gel matrix cultured with pulp cells for 14 days was significantly higher than other fibroblasts (gingiva, skin) (p < 0.05), 2. The diameter of collagen gel matrix cultured with pulp cells was reduced to 70.4% after 7 days, and 57.1% after 14 days. 3. The collagen gel without any cells did not contract, whereas the collagen gel cultured with gingiva and skin showed mild contraction after 14 days (88.1% and 87.6% respectively). 4. The contraction of the collagen gel cultured with NIH 3T3 cells after 14 days was higher than those cultured with gingival and skin fibroblasts, but it was not statistically significant (72.1%, p > 0.05). 5. The collagen gel matrix cultured with pulp cells for 14 days showed similar shape with native pulp tissue without blood vessels. This approach may provide a means of engineering a variety of other oral tissue as well and these cell behaviors may provide information needed to establish pulp tissue engineering protocols.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.34.1-34.9
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the presence of pulp stones through an examination of cone beam computed tomography images and correlate their prevalence with age, sex, dental arch and side, tooth type, and restoration type and depth. Materials and Methods: Cone beam computed tomography images obtained from 673 patients and archival data on 11,494 teeth were evaluated. The associations of pulp stones with age, sex, dental arch and side, tooth type, and restoration type and depth were noted. All the measurements were subjected to a χ² test and one sample χ² test (p < 0.05). Results: In the study group, 163 (24.2%) patients and 379 (3.3%) teeth had at least one pulp stone. The pulp stone frequency in those aged 30-39 years was significantly greater than in those aged 18-29 and ≥ 60 years, and the frequency was higher in females than in males (p < 0.05). The highest prevalence of pulp stones was found in maxillary dental arches and molar teeth (p < 0.05). Pulp stones were significantly more common in medium-depth restorations (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Maxillary molar teeth, medium-depth restorations, individuals aged 30-39 years and females had a greater percentage of pulp stones.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.169-174
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• 2017

Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) plays a crucial role in innocuous cool sensation, acute cold pain and cold-induced hyperalgesia during pathologic conditions. To help understand TRPM8-mediated cold perception in the dental pulp and periodontal tissues, we examined the distribution of TRPM8-immunopositive (+) axons in molar and incisor pulp and periodontal tissues using transgenic mice expressing a genetically encoded axonal tracer in TRPM8+ neurons. In the radicular pulp of the molar teeth, a small number of TRPM8+ axons were observed. TRPM8+ axons branched frequently and extensively in the core of coronal pulp, forming a network in the peripheral pulp. Some TRPM8+ axons ascended between odontoblasts and were observed in the dentinal tubule. TRPM8+ axons were linear-shaped in the radicular pulp, whereas many TRPM8+ axons showed portions shaped like beads connected with thin axonal stands at the peripheral pulp. TRPM8 was densely expressed in the bead portions. In the incisor pulp, TRPM8+ axons were occasionally observed in the core of the coronal pulp and rarely observed at the peripheral pulp. TRPM8+ axons were occasionally observed and showed a linear shape rather than a bead-like appearance in the periodontal ligament and lamina propria of the gingival tissue. These findings, showing differential distribution of TRPM8+ axons between radicular and coronal portions of the molar pulp, between incisor and molar pulp, and between dental pulp and periodontal tissues, may reflect differential cold sensitivity in these regions.