Investigators Discover How Teeth Sense Cold

Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, have determined the ion channel, TRPC5, acts as a cold sensor in teeth. This may serve as a new drug target when treating dentinal hypersensitivity.

This discovery spanned more than a decade as investigators traced places throughout the body where tissues sense cold to pinpoint how TRPC5 cold-sensing ability came into play. According to the study, investigators recorded neural activity in mice as an ice-cold solution touched the tooth. Normal mice reacted to the cold solution, whereas mice lacking TRPC5 or in teeth treated with a chemical that blocked the ion channel did not experience nerve activity. 

The study, “Odontoblast TRPC5 Channels Signal Cold Pain in Teeth,” was published in Science Advances.

From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. May 2021;19(5):9.