REGENERATION OF CALCITONIN GENE-RELATED PEPTIDE IMMUNOREACTIVE NERVES IN REPLANTED RAT MOLARS AND THEIR SUPPORTING TISSUES

First maxillary right molars in 66 rats were elevated and replanted and the pulps allowed to regenerate for 1-90 days. The contralateral tooth served as control. Regeneration of nerves in the pulp and periodontium was studied by CGRP-immunohistochemistry and the avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. The pulp and periodontium of the controls were richly supplied with CGRP-labelled nerves. One day after replantation the pulp was completely devoid of CGRP-immunoreactive nerves. After 2 days, axon sprouts were present in the apical, regenerated pulp and in the periodontium. From 3-7 days CGRP-immunoreactive axons were regularly seen to have regenerated in front of the cellular inflammation in the pulp. After 10 days, the pulps were reinnervated up to the horns, although more sparsely than in the controls. From day 20-90 there was a marked divergence in pulpal healing: 17 pulps formed irregular postoperative dentine with a gradual increase in nerve density; 16 pulps remained sparsely innervated and were gradually replaced by bone. Root resorption was most extensive in the teeth with bone replacement of pulp. The soft tissue adjacent to extensive resorbing areas had many more CGRP-labelled axons than in the controls. The reinnervation of the regenerating pulp occurred at the same time as pulpal wound healing, but did not achieve the innervation density of the controls.