Objective: The objective of this study was to elucidate the presence of natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells in rat dental pulp.
Study design: Male Wistar rats (n = 10) were used. The presence of NK and NKT cells in the coronal and root pulps of the lower first molars was detected immunohistochemically.
Results: Infiltration of NK and NKT cells into the normal pulp was observed, and most of these cells were located in the coronal pulp rather than in the root pulp. The population of NKT cells in the pulp was only small compared to the population of NK cells.
Conclusion: NK and NKT cells are present in normal pulp, indicating an important role for the innate immune system in the pulp tissues.