Innervation of teeth: qualitative, quantitative, and developmental assessment.

Anatomical characteristics of tooth innervation provide insights into functional capabilities as well as limitations of this organ. In this review, innervation will be discussed from two major viewpoints. The first part will present distribution of nerve fibers in the tooth; nerve pathways, both autonomic and sensory, will be discussed mostly from a descriptive standpoint. In the second part, quantitation of neural units along key points of the pathways will be presented at milestones in tooth and organism development and aging.