Abstract

PEREZ RUIZ, Andrés O; VENTURA HERNANDEZ, María Isabel  and  VALVERDE GRANDAL, Orietta. Description of the functional properties of the nociceptive trigeminal system in relation to pulpal pain. Rev Cubana Estomatol [online]. 2015, vol.52, n.3, pp. 390-398. ISSN 1561-297X.

The nociceptive trigeminal system is a component of the somatosensory system capable of distinguishing four basic variables of stimuli causing tissue damage: quality, time course, location and intensity. A-delta and C fibers, which are related to nociception, are present in dental pulp. Several classifications of pain are used, based on various criteria: quality of the sensation, transmission velocity along fibers, body part where it is expressed, and location of the nociceptor. According to their evolution, pulpal conditions are classified into reversible pulpitis, transitional pulpitis, irreversible pulpitis and necrotic pulp. Pulpal pain has been classified according to the following variables: quality: sharp or continuous; cause: provoked or spontaneous; course: intermittent or continuous; location: limited to a region, radiating or referred; and intensity: mild, moderate or severe. The capacity of the nociceptive sensory system to distinguish the mode, time course, location and intensity of the stimulus makes it possible to recognize the different stages of a pulpal inflammatory process.

Keywords : pulpal pain; A-delta and C fibers; nociception; nociceptive trigeminal system.