Activation of intradental nerves in the dog to some stimuli applied to the dentine.

Both scraping of superficial dentine and air blasts induced bursts of action potentials in 19 out of 22 units immediately. In 5 out of 16 units 4.9 mol/l CaCl2-solution was also effective. Dry absorbent cotton activated 5 out of 16 units with a 10-20 s latency. All 18 units tested responded to mechanical irritation of the pulp. Acid etching of dentine made the units more sensitive. Resin impregnation abolished the responses. Drilling of dentine with a turbine bur induced responses of the same type as air blasts. Three units responded to heat and 2 also to cold. Hypertonic NaCl-solution was only effective when applied either to the pulp (in 9 out of 12 units) or to the inner dentine (in 5 out of 17 units). It is concluded that intradental nerve fibres sensitive to several different stimuli exist in the dog. Many of the stimuli used induce fluid flow in dentinal tubules in vitro. Nerve activation might have been due to the same mechanism with all stimuli used, possibly to mechanical distortion of the peripheral pulp tissue as a result of the fluid flow. The findings support the hydrodynamic hypothesis of dentine sensitivity.