This review highlights the morphology, neuroplasticity and regeneration of the periodontal Ruffini endings, essential mechanoreceptors in the periodontal liga-ment. The periodontal Ruffini endings are characterized by expanded axon ter-minals filled with a number of mitochondria and by the presence of terminal or lamellar Schwann cells. Many experimental studies have revealed that perio-dontal Ruffini endings have high potential for neuroplasticity, confirmed by intense immunoreactivity for several markers such as low affinity neurtropin receptor (p75-NGFR) and growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) even in mature perio-dontal ligament. The periodontal Ruffini endings could regenerate by 14 days after injury of inferior alveolar nerve, faster than the Ruffini endings in other tis-sues. Previous immunocytochemical studies have shown expression of immunoreactivity for trkB, a high affinity neurotrophic factor receptor, in the periodontal Ruffini endings, suggesting brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a candidate for neurotrophins involved in the regeneration of the periodontal Ruffini endings. Our recent immunocytochemical and quantitative analyses on BDNF-deficient mice have revealed the involvement of BDNF in the regeneration of the periodontal Ruffini endings. Further investigations are needed for clarify-ing the involvement of other neurotrophins and their molecular mechanism of the regeneration processes of the periodontal Ruffini endings.