Detection of Tumor Necrosis Factor α in Normal and Inflamed Human Dental Pulps

Background m of this study was to determine concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in normal, painful, and asymptomatic human dental pulps. s were obtained from three groups of teeth, including healthy teeth, asymptomatic teeth with caries and/or large restoration, and symptomatic teeth with clinical diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis. Pulpal tissues were collected, prepared, and analyzed for TNF-α concentration by ELISA technique. s ametric Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences between TNF-α concentration in normal samples (64.01 ± 53.12 pg/g) and irreversible symptomatic pulpal tissue (1,962.99 ± 1,288.75 pg/g), between irreversible symptomatic and asymptomatic (1,120.09 ± 649.72 pg/g), and between normal and irreversible asymptomatic pulpal tissue (p = 0.000). sions may be an objective marker for determining extent of pulpal inflammation associated with irreversible pulpitis.