Effects of distance from the pulp and thickness on the hydraulic conductance of human radicular dentin

The purposes of this study were: (1) to measure the effect of distance from the pulp on the hydraulic conductance of human radicular dentin; (2) to determine the influence of dentin thickness on the rates of fluid flow; and (3) to attempt to correlate dentinal tubule densities and diameters with root dentin hydraulic conductance. Dentin slabs prepared from extracted, unerupted, human third molar teeth were placed in a split-chamber device to permit quantitation of fluid filtration rate (hydraulic conductance). In the SEM portion of the study, dentinal tubule numbers and diameters were recorded. The results indicated that radicular dentin hydraulic conductance decreased with distance from the pulp and with increasing dentin thickness. Tubule density and diameter correlated well with the measured hydraulic conductances. The relatively low hydraulic conductance of outer root dentin makes it a significant barrier to fluid movement across root structure.