Background: Reducing the thickness of hard dental tissues through the preparation of teeth for fixed prosthodontics represents an aggression for the dentin-pulp complex and may cause changes in dental pulp tissues, by means of acute or chronic inflammation, or by asymptomatic, atrophic modifications.
Aim: The aim of the study was to histological and immunohistochemical evaluate samples of dental pulp selected from previously prepared teeth, which had been functioning as abutment teeth for some years.
Patients, materials and methods: The starting point of the study was a statistical study conducted on a batch of 276 patients, of which 64 needed to change the fixed prosthetic restorations. Some of the existing abutment teeth were extracted, others presented previously performed root canal treatments and others required endodontic treatment.
Results: Of the 21 samples taken, 12 showed atrophic pulp modifications, represented by low cellularity, collagen fibrosis, vascular congestion, and pulpal calcifications.
Conclusions: Certain irreversible atrophic changes can be observed in abutment teeth's pulps, a fact that justifies the need of performing pre-prosthetic endodontic treatment.