PDL Blood & Nerve supply

Blood supply,Lymphatics & Nerve supply of the PDL

Blood supply

• The PDL is highly vasularized
• High turn over rate.
• The blood vessels & nerves occupy areas called "Interstitial areas"

Contents :

Types of neural

terminations

Nerve Supply

There are four types of nerve endings in the PDL :

• Free nerve endings
• Ruffini's ending
• Coiled Ending
• Encapsulated spindle-type ending

1-Blood supply

• arterial supply
• venous drainage

2-Lymphatics

3-Nerve Supply

Free nerve endings

• Shape :Tree-like configuration
• site:Along the length of the root
• Function: pain & mechanoreceptors

Pattern of distribution

• Posterior teeth > Anterior teeth
• Mandibular teeth > Maxillary teeth

Venous drainage

Axially directed vessels that drain into a network of large diameter venules in the apical portion of the ligament.

Rufffin's corpuscles

Arterial supply

• Shape:Dendritic
• Site:Around the root Apex
• Function:Mechanoreceptors

3 sources

Coiled ending

Lymphatics

Encapsulated spindle-like

• Shape:Coiled form.
• Site:mid-region of the PDL
• Function:not determined yet

branches from apical vessels

Branches from gingival vessels

branches from intra-alveolar vessels "Perforating arteries "

They tend to follow the venous drainage They flow from the ligament toward the alveolar bone

• The main blood supply to the PDL is through the sup. & inf. alveolar arteries
• They penetrate the bone & enter the PDL space "Perforating arteries"

• Shape:spindle-like + capsule.
• Site:Root apex
• Function:Mechanoreceptors