Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil have discovered connections in the mechanisms involved in dental pulp inflammation and root apex damage. The findings may lead to medications that can prevent bone loss due to endodontic infection.
The team's results were published recently in the Journal of Endodontics. The researchers found that tumor necrosis factor-α receptor-1, TNFR1, is involved in the formation of reparative dentin after dental pulp capping. Pulp capping is a procedure in which bioactive material is placed over exposed pulp to encourage healing at the site of injury. TNFR1 becomes proinflammatory on binding to the cytokine TNF-α.
The team showed that in one analysis, the TNF-α-TNFR1 signaling pathway protected teeth and allowed for repair. However, in another case, it acted in an antagonistic manner, leading to an inflammatory process with bone loss. The difference between the two situations was due to the presence or absence of microorganisms, the team wrote.