Synonyms
Definition
A noxious experience that originates or appears to originate from a tooth.
Characteristics
Pain is not experienced from an entirely healthy tooth under normal physiological conditions, but can be induced by a cold stimulus at 0 °C or below. It is more readily felt in otherwise normal teeth in which the dentin beneath the enamel of the crown or beneath the cementum of the root is exposed. Then cold stimuli will induce pain and hot or osmotic stimuli may do so. This pain is sharp and lasts only for the duration of the stimulus. If the dental pulp, the soft tissue within the dentin and responsible for its production, is inflamed, the pain to an applied stimulus will be strong, dull, and throbbing. It may continue beyond the duration of the stimulus and may be present spontaneously. As the majority of nociceptors in the uninjured pulp are inactive under normal circumstances, they can be classified as “silent.” No...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anderson, D. J., & Matthews, B. (1967). Osmotic stimulation of human dentine and the distribution of dental pain thresholds. Archives of Oral Biology, 12, 417–426.
Bowles, W. R., Withrow, J. C., Lepinski, A. M., & Hargreaves, K. M. (2003). Tissue levels of immunoreactive substance P are increased in patients with irreversible pulpitis. Journal of Endodontics, 29, 265–267.
Byers, M. R., Taylor, P. E., Khayat, B. G., & Kimberly, C. L. (1990). Effects of injury and inflammation on pulpal and periapical nerves. Journal of Endodontics, 16, 78–84.
Chattipakorn, S. C., Sigurdsson, A., Light, A. R., Narhi, M., & Maixner, W. (2002). Trigeminal c-Fos expression and behavioral responses to pulpal inflammation in ferrets. Pain, 99, 61–69.
Chiang, C. Y., Park, S. J., Kwan, C. L., Hu, J. W., & Sessle, B. J. (1998). NMDA receptor mechanisms contribute to neuroplasticity induced in caudalis nociceptive neurons by tooth pulp stimulation. Journal of Neurophysiology, 80, 2621–2631.
Cook, S. P., Vulchanova, L., Hargreaves, K. M., Elde, R., & McCleskey, E. W. (1997). Distinct ATP receptors on pain-sensing and stretch-sensing neurons. Nature, 387, 505–508.
Hargreaves, K. M., Bowles, W. R., & Jackson, D. L. (2003). Intrinsic regulation of CGRP release by dental pulp sympathetic fibers. Journal of Dental Research, 82, 398–401.
Heyeraas, K. J., & Berggreen, E. (1999). Interstitial fluid pressure in normal and inflamed pulp. Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine, 10, 328–336.
Hu, J. W., Dostrovsky, J. O., Lenz, Y. E., Ball, G. J., & Sessle, B. J. (1986). Tooth pulp deafferentation is associated with functional alterations in the properties of neurons in the trigeminal spinal tract nucleus. Journal of Neurophysiology, 56, 1650–1668.
Jaber, L., Swaim, W. D., & Dionne, R. A. (2003). Immunohistochemical localization of mu-opioid receptors in human dental pulp. Journal of Endodontics, 29, 108–110.
Matthews, B., & Vongsavan, N. (1994). Interactions between neural and hydrodynamic mechanisms in dentine and pulp. Archives of Oral Biology, 39, 87S–95S.
Melzack, R. (1975). The McGill Pain Questionnaire: Major properties and scoring methods. Pain, 1, 277–299.
Melzack, R. (1984). The myth of painless childbirth (the John J. Bonica lecture). Pain, 19, 321–337.
Michaelson, P. L., & Holland, G. R. (2002). Is pulpitis painful? International Endodontic Journal, 35, 829–832.
Mudie, A. S., & Holland, G. R. (2006). Local opioids in the inflamed dental pulp. Journal of Endodontics, 32, 319–323.
Narhi, M., Jyvasjarvi, E., Virtanen, A., Huopaniemi, T., Ngassapa, D., & Hirvonen, T. (1992). Role of intradental A- and C-type nerve fibres in dental pain mechanisms. Proceedings of the Finnish Dental Society, 88, 507–516.
Puapichartdumrong, P., Ikeda, H., & Suda, H. (2003). Facilitation of iontophoretic drug delivery through intact and caries-affected dentine. International Endodontic Journal, 36(10):674–81.
Renton, T., Yiangou, Y., Baecker, P. A., Ford, A. P., & Anand, P. (2003). Capsaicin receptor VR1 and ATP purinoceptor P2X3 in painful and nonpainful human tooth pulp. Journal of Orofacial Pain, 17, 245–250.
Rodd, H. D., & Boissonade, F. M. (2000). Substance P expression in human tooth pulp in relation to caries and pain experience. European Journal of Oral Sciences, 108, 467–474.
Sessle, B. J., Hu, J. W., Amano, N., & Zhong, G. (1986). Convergence of cutaneous, tooth pulp, visceral, neck and muscle afferents onto nociceptive and non-nociceptive neurones in trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (medullary dorsal horn) and its implications for referred pain. Pain, 27, 219–235.
Yoshiyama, M., Masada, J., Uchida, A., & Ishida, H. (1989). Scanning electron microscopic characterization of sensitive vs. insensitive human radicular dentin. Journal of Dental Research, 68, 1498–1502.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Holland, G.R. (2013). Dental Pain, Etiology, Pathogenesis, and Management. In: Gebhart, G.F., Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_1035
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_1035
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28752-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28753-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences