ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of inflammation on lymphangiogenesis in human dental pulp using monoclonal mouse anti-human D2-40 antibody. Thirty samples of healthy dental pulps and twenty-seven pulps with irreversible pulpitis were included in this study. All cases were immunohistochemically stained for D2-40. Positively stained lymphatic vessels were counted by a light microscopy in an area of 1 mm2. The mean number and standard deviation of lymphatic vessels positive for D2-40 in the group with inflammation (8.04 ± 2.8) was significantly higher (p< 0.0001) than the mean number in the group without inflammation (3.93 ± 1.11). The study established an increased number of lymphatic vessels in the inflamed human dental pulp, which suggests that inflammation contributes lymphangiogenesis. The new lymphatic vessels can accelerate the removal of interstitial fluid and thus limit the effects of increased tissue pressure on the connective tissue. This may have importance in the process of regeneration of dental pulp and conservative procedures such as pulpotomy.