Dental pulp lipids from Bos taurus during odontogenesis

Abstract During the fetal development of the dental pulp, the various lipid classes show no substantial differences in their relative ratios but differences occur between deciduous and permanent teeth. By chromatography, the amount of free cholesterol was found decreased in deciduous and permanent teeth as compared to fetal teeth. Esterified cholesterol increased in permanent teeth and triglyceride levels were high only in developing permanent teeth. Phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine were present in higher concentration in permanent unerupted teeth, while phosphatidylethanolamine was at first constant but then decreased during development in the permanent unerupted teeth. These data suggest that lipid changes are related to the assembly of plasma membranes and to the establishment of the innervation during ontogeny and postnatal development of dental pulp.