VASCULATURE OF THE DENTAL-PULP OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC MONKEYS - LIGHT ANDELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS

Arteriosclerosis is a pathological condition in which there is a sever e luminal narrowing of arterioles, resulting in tissue ischemia and ne crosis. Arteriosclerosis has been reported in the dental pulp of normo tensive persons as young as 40 yr of age. To date, no corroboration of these findings have been published. Our study examined pulp from athe rosclerotic monkeys for such changes under controlled conditions. The lingual artery and canines from 11 nonatherosclerotic (control) and 11 atherosclerotic (experimental) cynolmolgus monkeys were histologicall y evaluated with light and transmission electron microscopy. Lingual a rteries from controls did not exhibit atherosclerotic plaques, whereas those of the experimental monkeys did show fibro-foamy plaques. Howev er, neither experimental nor control animals exhibited any arteriolosc lerotic alterations in the pulp. Our study concluded that, in this ani mal model, which did demonstrate atherosclerosis in the oral cavity, n o similar alterations were found in the pulp.