Detecting dentinal sclerosis in decalcified sections with the Pollak trichrome connective tissue stain

The supply of young human teeth for controlled human pulp studies is inadequate. Dentinal sclerosis in older teeth modifies the expected pulpal responses. Decalcification, necessary to interpret pulpal responses, destroys the primary evidence of sclerosis. At present we are unable to detect the degree of sclerosis and the pulp response in the same preparation. Valid interpretations on older teeth cannot be accomplished until this problem is resolved. Fifty-seven teeth, normal and carious, representing a wide age span were fixed, embedded in Bioplastic and sectioned with the Bronwill Model No. 77 through the middle of the M-D plane on the labio-lingual plane to obtain an undecalcified ground section for examination with reflected and transmitted light and Faxitron 805 microradiography. The remaining portions of the tooth were decalcified, processed in paraffin and subjected to a variety of histochemical reactions including the Pollak trichrome stain. The Pollak trichrome and the Pollak trichrome solution No. 6 modification stains provided the greatest correlations with the sclerotic areas in the radiographs of the ground sections. Areas of dentin indicative of sclerosis prior to decalcification stained orange-red with the Pollak trichrome stain and deep orange with the Pollak trichrome solution No. 6 modification.