Evaluation of apoptosis in deciduous teeth physiological root resorption

In this study, the apoptotic cell death in the physiological rootresorption in the early and advanced level in deciduous and young permanentteeth and the role of apoptosis in deciduous teeth physiological rootresorption was evaluated.Pulps of 34 deciduous teeth with root resorption in the early andadvanced level and 12 young permanent human teeth showing no clinicalsigns of caries were extracted for orthodontic and prosthetic purposes from 46systemically healthy children ranging in age from 7 to 12 year took place in thestudy. To detect apoptotic cells in pulp tissues, TUNEL technique andtransmission electron microscopy were used. Apoptotic Index (AI) values ofthe study groups were determined mainly by counting apoptotic fibroblastcells detected by TUNEL technique.In TUNEL technique there wasn?t a statistically significantdifference between AI values of the study groups (p>0.05). Apoptosis wasdetected in odontoblasts, vascular endotelial cells and mononuclearinflammatory cells of pulp connective tissue. In the pulp tissues evaluated byelectron microscopy, different types of apoptotic pulp cells at different stagesof apoptosis, with the characteristic appearance of chromatin condensationwere observed.The similarity between AI values of deciduous teeth groups in theearly and advanced phase of physiological root resorption and youngpermanent teeth, showed that apoptosis was a mechanism in the regulation ofthe pulp cells population which was not related with physiological andprogrammed process of deciduous teeth root resorption.Key Words: apoptosis, deciduous teeth, dental pulp, physiological rootresorption, TUNEL method, transmission electron microscopy.