Determination of endotoxins in the vital pulp of human carious teeth: Association with pulpal pain

Objectives. The aims of this investigation were to determine the presence o r absence of endotoxins in the pulp of symptomatic and symptom-free human c arious teeth, to quantify the amount of endotoxins present, and to associat e the presence of endotoxins with the acute pulpal pain. Material and methods. Pulpal tissue was sampled from 28 single-rooted cario us teeth (15 symptomatic, 13 symptom-free) derived from 28 patients. Sample s were also taken from the pulp of 5 noncarious control teeth. During sampl ing an effort was made to collect an equal weight of pulpal tissue in all c ases (approximately 8 mg). The extraction of endotoxins was performed with the use of phenol-water. The assay and quantitative determination of endoto xins was performed with the use of a limulus lysate test. The data were ana lyzed statistically by using the independent t test. Results, Endotoxins were detected in pulpal tissues of all carious teeth in the symptomatic (mean average, 0.15773 ng/mL; SD = 0.045811) and symptom-f ree group (mean average, 0.10723 ng/mL; SD = 0.010925). In noncarious contr ol teeth, endotoxins were not detected. The presence of endotoxins was sign ificantly higher in the group of symptomatic teeth than in the group of sym ptom-free teeth (P < .001), Conclusions. The presence of endotoxins in the pulpal tissue of all the car ious teeth indicates that they may play a major role in the pathogenesis of human pulpal diseases. Since a significantly higher level of endotoxins wa s detected in the pulp of symptomatic carious teeth than in that of symptom -free carious teeth, an association of endotoxins levels with severity of p ulpal pain is probable.