Vascular changes in the dental pulp in the hypercholesterolemic miniature swine

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hypercholesterolemia and a cholesterol-lowering diet on the blood vessels of dental pulp. Eighteen miniature swine were assigned to three different groups on the basis of their diets: hog finisher; hog finisher with added fat and cholesterol, or hog finisher with added fat and cholesterol supplemented with grapefruit pectin. The cholesterol levels were monitored monthly for the duration of the experiment. Biopsy specimens of the aorta, coronary arteries, kidneys, and mandibular incisor teeth were prepared for histologic examination. The degree of narrowing of the central pulpal arterioles was measured with a Bioquant II digitizer attached to an Apple IIe computer and a Nikon Labophot light microscope. A few (9.8%) of the pulpal arterioles of the swine on a high-cholesterol diet had atheromatous plaques, but no complete vascular obstructions were observed. No degenerative changes were observed in any of the dental pulps examined.