Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on rat molar pulp cells

In rats fed an essential fatty acid deficient (EFAD) diet, either during pregnancy (DN) or for 4 wk postnatally (ND), the cell density in the central part of the pulp increased about two- and threefold, respectively, of that in rats who had received a conventional diet containing sunflower oil. Cells were especially numerous around capillaries. The cell density was also increased twofold in the subodontoblastic layer in the outer part of the pulp, cells being smaller in ND compared with DN. In contrast, the odontoblasts were reduced in height, and the Höhl cells formed a thin layer in EFAD rats. This emphasizes some aspects of pulp specificity which reacted differently from odontoblasts. We suggest that the function of killer cells which normally destroy cells at the periphery of the pulp may be impaired by the diet, leading to cell accumulation.