(PO28) Diode Laser Irradiation Stimulates Oxytocin Receptor Expression in Rat Dental Pulp Cells

Abstract: The primary objective of Vital Pulp Therapy (VPT) is to preserve the vitality and function of the dental pulp and to promote the formation of reparative dentin or a calcium bridge. Previously, we discovered that Oxytocin (OT), a peptide hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus, binds to the OT receptor (OTR) expressed on odontoblasts and induces dentin formation. In this study, we investigated the impact of photobiomodulation on the expression of OTR in odontoblasts, examining the potential use of diode lasers to augment dentinogenesis during vital pulp therapy. Dental pulp stem cells were first isolated from rat mandibular incisors and cultured in a mineralized medium for 21 days, either without (control group) or with diode laser irradiation (laser group), which was applied with a total energy amount of 20 Joules. The quantitative Real-Time PCR analysis revealed that OTR expression was significantly increased in the laser group. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test, and differences in the means were assessed with the Mann-Whitney U-test, applying Bonferroni correction. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. In conclusion, our findings suggest that diode laser irradiation may enhance dentin formation by increasing OTR expression in odontoblasts, indicating a potential application in VPT to improve its efficacy and success.