Pulpal Hemodynamics in Microgravity: An Exhaustive and Speculative Analysis of Aerospace Endodontic Physiology

LUCIANO BARRETO SILVA

2026.79.0274

DOI https://doi.org/10.59332/jbis-079-08-0274

Long-duration space exploration imposes unprecedented physiological challenges on the human body. While muscular atrophy, bone demineralization, and Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) have been extensively studied, the physiological response of the dental pulp, a low-compliance connective tissue encapsulated within a rigid chamber, remains an unexplored frontier in aerospace medicine. This report proposes an in-depth speculative analysis, grounded in the extrapolation of terrestrial physiological data and space analogs, to model the behavior of pulpal circulation in intact teeth under microgravity conditions. The central hypothesis suggests that the dental pulp is not a passive bystander but an active participant in the cephalad fluid redistribution, subject to a hydrostatic conflict between passive venous congestion and reflex sympathetic vasoconstriction. This phenomenon, herein termed “Aerospace Pulpal Hemodynamic Stress,” may precipitate accelerated tissue aging, early calcific obliteration, and alterations in neurosensory response, with critical implications for interplanetary missions.

Keywords: Dental Pulp; Weightlessness; Space Flight; Hemodynamics; Dental Pulp Calcification