Influence of tooth cryopreservation on human dentin permeability, in vitro

Abstract Objectives . In order to use cryopreserved teeth in laboratory studies, cryopreservation must not modify the functional properties of teeth, in particular dentin permeability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of tooth cryopreservation on human dentin permeability. Methods . Three hundred and sixty freshly extracted human noncarious third molars were used. The teeth were randomly assigned to two groups: 180 teeth were stored in phosphate-buffered saline at 4°C and tested within 4 h of collection; 180 teeth were cryopreserved. Hydraulic conductance was calculated according to the method developed by Pashley (Outhwaite et al. , 1976). Results . Cryopreserved teeth presented a hydraulic conductance of 8.97 × 10 −3 ± 4.21 × 10 −3 μ L·cm −2 ·min −1 ·cm·H 2 O −1 slightly higher than the hydraulic conductance of the freshly extracted teeth of 8.03 × 10 −3 ± 3.87 × 10 −3 μ L·cm −2 ·min −1 ·cm·H 2 O −1 . No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups. Significance . Under the conditions of this study, cryopreservation did not modify dentin permeability.