Department of Endodontics: Research Interests

Faculty/Staff | Research | International Program | Microscope Training

The Endodontic Department is supporting many research projects by its faculty and students:

Basic science:
The dental pulp in health and disease is the primary focus of the research activity. Specifically, the microcirculation of the pulp and blood flow patterns in normal and compromised states provide an insight into the capacity of the pulp to compensate for injuries. Beyond a certain degree of chronic or acute injury the compensatory mechanisms of the pulp are less effective than in most other tissues, since the confined environment of the pulp does not allow the additional blood flow, and thus expansion of the pulp to overcome the injury. These mechanisms were studied with a powerful vasodilator, Substance P (SP) which is released in response to trauma and contributes to pulpal death by sustained vasodilation in the confined environment of the pulp. Ongoing studies also included treatment approaches to prevent the release of SP, as well as to identify various antagonists to SP in order to counteract it's deleterious effects on the dental pulp tissue. Pain and cellular mechanisms of vasodilation are also investigated in a study examining the functional roles of neuropeptides and their antagonists in the vasomotor control of the dental pulp.

Clinical: On this area, materials and emerging technologies for endodontic use are studied and evaluated. In-vivo experiments are conducted to identify the best root canal retro-filling materials. Specifically, the effects of SuperEBA and Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) were investigated on peripheral tissues and cells in animal and in-vitro experiments.

In an ongoing study of the effectiveness and accuracy of a series of new endodontic instruments and technologies, a large database of currently 5,000 cases has been compiled. Analysis of the data subsets is providing a biological basis for clinical treatment decisions.