Cervical regeneration

Abstract

In different reports, cervical lesions are named erosion, abrasion, chemical abrasion, and denudation. The leading concept is that occlusal loading could be implicated in cervical stress and consequently may induce a loss of cervical tooth structure. Cervical lesion has gained over all the other terminology. Excessive occlusal biomechanical forces seem to cause loss of superficial root dentin, causing thermo-sensitivity that is mediated by dentinal fluid shifts that activate potassium ion channel receptors in pulpal nerves innervating such dentin. Carious cervical lesions may be restored after etching by adhesives combined with resin composites or by glass ionomer cements. They may influence the subjacent living pulp. Inflammation and formation of tertiary dentin are the principal evidences, detectable only after histological investigation on demineralized sections. Caries lesions may be active or inactive. About 60 % of the elderly had one or more active lesions, whereas 70 % had more than eight filled carious inactive or active surfaces (Fejerskov et al., Caries Res 25:385-391, 1991). Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) are predominant lesions at the junction between the crown and root. In addition, these erosions may also spontaneously remineralize. Tissue regeneration may result from reprecipitation due to salivary minerals.