Oxygen Uptake of Rat Incisor Pulp After Hypophysectomy

Abstract

The mean reduction in oxygen uptake of incisor pulp from 142 hypophysectomized rats was 10.2%. This figure is significant in the negative sense, in that it demonstrates a relatively undisturbed physiologic pattern of pulp. This finding coincides with the histologic findings of others, that hypophysectomy disturbs the enamel organ, resulting in a lack of enamel formation and eruption, but spares the dentin-forming properties of pulp, resulting in the intrapulpal folding of dentin.