Pulpal irritants

The dental pulp is characterized as a connective tissue and as such it is not considered an external tissue, yet its exposure to external stimuli is constant. This is due to a number of factors including the permeability of attrited or disrupted enamel as well as that of physiologic dentin and cementum. The pulp is extraordinarily sensitive to its external environment. Once thought to be a vestigial organ, it is now understood that the dental pulp is an important tissue whose role in the defense of the dentition may be as significant as its role in odontogenesis.