Pulp biopsies from the teeth associated with periapical radiolucency

It is generally conceived that in cariously involved mature teeth, the inflammatory changes in the periapical tissues occur only after the pulp is completely inflamed or necrotic (1-4). It has, however, been demonstrated by some investigators that periapical radiolucency and inflammatory changes can be observed before total inflammation or necrosis of the pulp occurs (5-9). The dynamics of inflammatory processes involving the pulpal-periapical tissue complex are therefore not fully understood. The relationship between clinical findings and histopathological examination of teeth having inflammatory periapical lesions has not been well established in the literature. The purpose of this study is to clinically and histopathologically investigate the pulp tissues biopsied from cariously involved teeth displaying a periapical radiolucency.