S. Patil et al., DETERMINING PERIODONTAL-LIGAMENT (PDL) CELL VITALITY FROM EXARTICULATED TEETH STORED IN SALINE OR MILK USING FLUORESCEIN DIACETATE, International endodontic journal, 27(1), 1994, pp. 1-5
One of the key factors for obtaining a favourable long-term prognosis
in avulsed teeth is maintenance of the vitality of the periodontal lig
ament (PDL) cells. Most studies which have examined PDL cell vitality
have used neutral red or trypan blue as stains. However, these stains
have certain inherent disadvantages. The purpose of this paper was to
(i) evaluate the use of saline and milk as storage media for PDL cells
and (ii) determine the value of using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) as
a staining medium for vital PDL cells on the root surface of avulsed t
eeth. Thirty-two single-rooted premolars were utilized from patients a
ged 13 to 28 years. Following atraumatic extraction, the teeth in the
experimental groups were air dried for 10 min and then placed in eithe
r milk or saline for 120 min. Both control and experimental teeth were
subjected to trypsinization procedures, staining with FDA, and haemoc
ytometer readings to determine the number of vital cells. There was no
statistically significant difference in the number of viable cells on
the root surfaces of teeth after 2 h of storage in either milk or in
saline. Furthermore, staining with FDA provided an excellent method by
which to determine PDL cell vitality.