Eugenol Toxicity in Human Dental Pulp Fibroblasts of Primary Teeth.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro laboratory study evaluating cytotoxicity in cultured human primary pulp fibroblasts.
PubMed 27471810 · doi:10.17796/1053-4628-40.4.312
What was done
Primary dental pulp tissue samples were cultured using an explant technique and tested at the 4th to 5th passage. Researchers evaluated the cytotoxicity of eugenol across a concentration range of 0.06 to 810 μM using Comet assays (single-cell gel electrophoresis), MTS viability assays, LIVE/DEAD viability/toxicity assays, and trypan blue exclusion.
What was found
All tested concentrations of eugenol, from the lowest tested level of 0.06 μM up to 810 μM, exhibited toxic effects on primary dental pulp fibroblasts. The abstract reports qualitative high toxicity across all doses but does not provide exact numerical percentages for cell viability, DNA damage scores, or IC50 values.
Why it matters
Eugenol is widely used in pediatric endodontic materials, such as zinc oxide-eugenol cements; these findings show that even micromolar and sub-micromolar concentrations can exert direct cytotoxic effects on human primary pulp cells in vitro.
Limits
The study was conducted entirely in vitro on cell monolayers, which lacks the buffering capacity, dentin barrier, extracellular matrix, and vascular clearance present in vivo. The abstract does not disclose the sample size (number of primary donors), control comparators, or specific quantitative data.
Cited by
- partial Applying clove oil to an exposed, painful area of a tooth will diffuse through and kill the dental nerve.