Influences of axial load and blood pressure on the position of the rabbit's incisor tooth

Abstract

Changes in the axial position of the left upper incisor in response to loading by 5–20 g were measured with ultrasonic technique in anesthetized rabbits. The time-response of the load-induced intrusion described a biphasic curve, with a steep initial part followed by a slower part. Maximum amplitudes after 20 s increased with increasing loads. A rise in arterial blood pressure (aortic balloon inflation) resulted in extrusion, while i.v. injection of noradrenaline or papaverine caused intrusion and extrusion, respectively. The responses to loading and changes in blood pressure were largely unaffected by transection of the root, but the effects of pressure changes were severely diminished by local infiltration of the periodontium with noradrenaline. Participation of periodontal blood vessels in the damping of load-induced intrusion was excluded by the finding of roughly equal intrusion curves at low, normal and high blood pressure and up to 38 h after death. We conclude that the resting position of the rabbit's incisor is greatly influenced by arterial blood pressure, via the periodontal vessels. The intrusion in response to loading by up to 20 g is resisted by periodontal fibers only, the blood vessels or the pulpal and periapical tissues and pressure taking no part.