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Altered coronal tissue of the human dental pulp in chronic hepatitis C virus infected patients
Mohammed El-Awady Grawish1, Rita Khounganian, Magdy K Hamam
1Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection alters human dental pulp tissue, affecting cellularity, blood vessels, and extracellular matrix. These findings highlight the systemic impact of HCV on oral health.
Area of Science:
- Oral Pathology
- Hepatology
- Immunology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 170 million people globally, often leading to chronic illness.
- Extrahepatic manifestations are common in chronic viral hepatitis, particularly with HCV.
- The study investigates HCV's impact on the coronal tissue of human dental pulp.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the effects of chronic HCV infection on human dental pulp coronal tissue.
- To compare histological changes in dental pulp between HCV-infected patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Examined 30 impacted teeth from HCV patients and 30 from healthy controls.
- Pulp tissues were processed and stained using hematoxylin-eosin, alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff, van Gieson, and fibronectin.
- Histological analysis focused on cellularity, vasculature, and extracellular matrix components.
Main Results:
- HCV patients showed disorganized pulp tissue with inflammatory infiltrate.
- Vascular changes included thickened arterioles, stenosed/occluded vessels, and collapsed venules and lymphatics.
- Increased mucins and decreased collagen and fibronectin were observed in HCV patients.
Conclusions:
- Chronic HCV infection significantly affects dental pulp tissue, altering cellularity, vasculature, and extracellular matrix.
- Clinicians should be aware of these histological changes and their potential clinical implications for patients with HCV.
Introduction:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by a high rate of chronicity and concerns 170 million individuals worldwide. Extrahepatic manifestations are frequently observed in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Although extrahepatic manifestations do exist with all hepatitis viruses, they are more commonly associated with chronic HCV infection. This study aimed to evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively the effect of chronic HCV infection on the coronal tissue of the human dental pulp.
Methods:
Thirty sound impacted teeth were obtained from healthy individuals as healthy controls. The patient group included another 30 sound impacted teeth obtained from chronic HCV-infected patients. The coronal pulp tissues were carefully removed, fixed, and processed to be stained with hematoxylin-eosin, alcian blue (2.5)/periodic acid-Schiff, van Gieson, and fibronectin.
Results:
The tissue sections of chronic HCV patients revealed disorganized pulp tissue, chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate, thickening, stenosis and occlusion of large-sized blood vessel arteriole, and collapsed venule and lymphatic system. The acidic, neutral, and mixed mucins were increased, whereas the amount of collagen was decreased, accompanied with marked decrease in the distribution and quantity of fibronectin glycoprotein. Application of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there were statistically significant changes between the 2 groups (P ≤ .05).
Conclusions:
The coronal tissue of the dental pulp, like any other body tissues, is affected by chronic HCV infection, with an inappropriate cellularity, vasculature, and extracellular matrix proteins. The clinician should be alerted to these histologic changes and their subsequent implications.
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