The effect of systemic disorders on the dental pulp in experimental animals

Pulpal conditions were studied in Chinese hamsters with hereditary diabetes mellitus, H-1-virus-modified hamsters, mice of the gray lethal mouse strain, polyoma-infected Swiss mice, mutation-diabetic mice, and rats with streptozotocin-produced diabetes. Degenerative pulpal changes in the Chinese hamsters and the polyoma-infected Swiss mice were often found in association with periodontal disease. While periodontal disease was found in the gray lethal mouse strain, little evidence of pulpal disease was noted. Some isolated teeth with pulpal changes were found in both the H-1-virus-modified hamsters and the polyoma-infected Swiss mice. Vascular alterations were found in the pulps of many of the mutation-diabetes mice, ranging from essentially normal to severe vascular engorgement with thrombosis. No alterations were found in either the periodontium or the pulps of the streptozotocin-diabetic rats.