Ischemic culture of dental pulp-derived cells is a useful model in which to investigate mechanisms of post-ischemic tissue recovery.

Dental pulp is a soft tissue characterized by unique regenerative properties. It is located in the center of each tooth, and is surrounded by hard tissue (dentin). Vascular access is limited to a small foramen at the root apex. Because of this anatomical limitation, dental pulp can easily lose its blood supply, causing the tissue to become ischemic. This occurs, for example, when a tooth is dislocated by traumatic injury or is subjected to inflammation. Since ischemia is caused by a critical shortage of oxygen and nutrients, ischemic damage is usually irreversible, even when the ischemic event is transient. However, unlike ischemia-sensitive organs such as the brain and heart, dental pulp is relatively ischemia-resistant, and recovers from ischemic injury by regenerating damaged tissue. The mechanisms by which this regeneration occurs are poorly understood, but are being investigated in cell culture models that mimic in vivo ischemic conditions using a combination of hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. Here, we review the use of ischemic cell culture to investigate the mechanisms of post-ischemic dental pulp tissue recovery.