Periodontal disease is a serious dental problem because it does not heal naturally and leads to tooth loss. In periodontal disease, inflammation at periodontal tissue is thought as predominant, and its effect against tooth itself remains unclear. In this study, we applied matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to teeth for the first time. By comparing anatomical structure of tooth affected with periodontal disease with normal ones, we analyzed traces of the disease on tooth. We found signals characteristic of enamel, dentin, and dental pulp, respectively, in mass spectra obtained from normal teeth. Ion images reconstructed using these signals showed anatomical structures of the tooth clearly. Next, we performed IMS upon teeth of periodontal disease. Overall characteristic of the mass spectrum appeared similar to normal ones. However, ion images reconstructed using signals from the tooth of periodontal disease revealed loss of periodontal ligament visualized together with dental pulp in normal teeth. Moreover, ion image clearly depicted an accumulation of signal at m/z 496.3 at root surface. Such an accumulation that cannot be examined only from mass spectrum was revealed by utilization of IMS. Recent studies about inflammation revealed that the signal at m/z 496.3 reflects lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC). Infiltration of the signal is statistically significant, and its intensity profile exhibited the influence has reached deeply into the tooth. This suggests that influence of periodontal disease is not only inflammation of periodontal tissue but also infiltration of LPC to root surface, and therefore, anti-inflammatory treatment is required besides conventional treatments.
After online publication of the article the authors found the following typographical error in the Discussion section:In the sentence "As m/z 780.8, 782.9, and 810.7 were also detected as characteristic signals to hairy cell in organ of corti by IMS analysis [27], and taking account that the hairy cells are known to be similar to odontoblasts [28], which also sense mechanical stress at the periphery in dental pulp in the same manner, the odontoblasts in dental pulp were also expected to be detected in our present analysis" the description of "m/z 780.8, 782.9, and 810.7" should be corrected to "m/z 780.5, 782.5, and 810.5".The online version of the original article can be found at http://dx
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