Russell bodies in the pulp of a primary tooth.

Russell bodies can be found in the majority of the inflamed tissues throughout the body. They have been shown to consist of accumulations of normal globulins that may burst out of the distended plasma cells that secrete them. Russell bodies have also been described in oral tissues and are believed to occur in 80% of the chronic periapical lesions. Yet their occurrence in the pulp has not been subjected to scrutiny. Concentrations of large intracellular (in-plasma cells) and extracellular Russell bodies have been found in the inflammatory tissue occupying the pulp cavity of carious primary teeth. Their significance is so far unknown.