Influence of patient age and time after tooth extraction on the number of odontoblasts

Abstract

Prompt revascularization is important when teeth are replanted. The success rate of re­plantation decreases when the number of odontoblasts is decreased by delayed revascu­larization. There has been no report of the effect of patient age (represented as genera­tions) on the relationship between the number of odontoblasts and the time after extrac­tion. In this study, we observed the number of odontoblasts on a light microscope follow­ing tooth extraction, and used this to investigate the relationship among the number of odontoblasts, the time after extraction, and the generation. We found that older patients (higher generations) had a smaller number of odontoblasts. Further, the number of odon­toblasts decreased as the time after extraction increased. In addition, beyond 10 hours after extraction, the number of odontoblasts from patients greater than 50 years of age was significantly less than that from younger patients. Our results suggest that clinicians should perform root canal filling before tooth replantation for patients over 50 years of age when the time after extraction exceeds 10 hours. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2018; 52: 101­-105)