Dental pulp: the life source of teeth

Dental pulp is the soft tissue inside the tooth, mainly composed of loose connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, etc. The dental pulp has the functions of nourishing teeth, sensing external stimuli, defending against external pressure, and forming dentin. When teeth are damaged by caries, wear, trauma, etc., the dental pulp may be exposed to the oral cavity, leading to dental pulp infection, pulpitis or apical periodontitis and other diseases.

The functions of dental pulp include four aspects: first, odontoblasts form dentin; second, the blood system provides nutrients to the dental pulp-dentin complex; third, sensory nerve fibers transmit pain; fourth, odontoblasts and connective tissue components respond to external stimuli.

Aging changes in the dental pulp refer to some physiological changes in the volume, structure and function of the dental pulp with age. These changes may be accelerated by adverse stimuli, so when considering aging changes in the dental pulp, special attention should be paid to pathological factors.