Investigators Find How Teeth Sense Cold

Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 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.