Immunohistochemical study of dental hard tissue in pediatric illnesses with odontostomatological signs: example of celiac disease and the osteogenesis imperfecta

BACKGROUND: The present study is aimed on focusing the immunohistochemical analysis of dental hard tissue of patients with celiac disease and osteogenesis imperfecta, two pathologies very different from the point of view epidemiologic, eziopathologic and clinical, but jointed by the possible odontostomatological interest. The purpose was to detect the possible immunohistochemical expression of inflammatory molecules at the level of dentinal tissue of dental elements of these patients, compared with control groups of healthy patients. The research was focused on proinflammatory cytokines as IL-1β and TNF-α, among primary protagonists in the start up of flogistic process, and growing factor TGF-β. METHODS: The study was made on the dentine of primary teeth extracted for orthodontic aim or therapeutic reasons, in patients under care at Department of Oral Science and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Unit of Pediatric Dentistry, Sapienza University of Rome. Once extracted were immediately saved in 10% formalin to assure the complete biological integrity. The tissue after taken were decalcified for 30 day period in order to make histochemical and immunohistochemical colorings. Afterwards they were dehydrated with increasing scale of alcohols to eliminate the watery component, followed by the diaphanization, inclusion into paraffin and microtomic cutting into sections of 2-3mm thickness. The coloring was made by using hematoxylin and eosin able to link to the cellular structures, thus making them visible. On the sections thus obtained the immunohistochemical analysis is carried out letting them react with mono and polyclonal antigens specific for the substance to be searched. RESULTS: The analysis made has shown an overexpression of the three flogistic mediators in both the pathologies compared to the control groups. In the patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, who often show dentinogenesis imperfecta, alterations at dentinal level might be expected. On the other side in the patients with celiac disease, no study till now had shown any dentin anomaly. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study ahow the presence of an inflammatory status at the level of the den- tinal tissue of the examined dental elements. The examined samples did not show carious lesions, thus a defensive answer to the bacterial attack, nor signs of pulpal suffering of different nature in offer to suppose a flogistic event. Future studies will be aimed in order to understand which is the most likely cause responsible for the overexpression of molecules examined in the dentin of these patients. Furthermore we should understand wich could be the possible biological answer of the complex pulp-dentinal because the presence of such factors and the possible therapeutic iter.