Biomaterial Database

Comparison of the reliability of laser Doppler flowmetry, pulse oximetry and electric pulp tester in assessing the pulp vitality of human teeth. 2011

H Karayilmaz, and Z Kirzioğlu

Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pedodontics, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Türkiye.

This study was designed to evaluate and compare the reliability of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), pulse oximetry (PO) and electric pulp tester (EPT) for assessing the pulpal status as a vitality test method by calculating their sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. Data were collected from 59 pairs of maxillary anterior teeth (38 pairs of central, 21 pairs of lateral incisors) in 51 patients (range 12-18years, mean age 14·6±1·73years, 28 women, 23 men). The teeth with complete endodontic fillings constituted the study group, and the healthy, contralateral teeth of the same patients were constituted the control group. The calculated sensitivity was 0·915 for the EPT and 0·813 for the PO. And the specificity of EPT was 0·881 and PO was 0·949. The difference between the LDF values obtained from the study, and control group was statistically significant (P=0·0001). The findings of this study indicated that LDF can reliably discriminate the vitality of the teeth with a sensitivity and specificity of 1·0 for this sample. Laser Doppler flowmetry was found to be a more reliable and effective method than PO and EPT of assessing the pulpal status of human teeth.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007180	Incisor	Any of the eight frontal teeth (four maxillary and four mandibular) having a sharp incisal edge for cutting food and a single root, which occurs in man both as a deciduous and a permanent tooth. (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p820)	Incisors
D008297	Male		Males
D010092	Oximetry	The determination of oxygen-hemoglobin saturation of blood either by withdrawing a sample and passing it through a classical photoelectric oximeter or by electrodes attached to some translucent part of the body like finger, earlobe, or skin fold. It includes non-invasive oxygen monitoring by pulse oximetry.	Pulse Oximetry,Oximetry, Pulse,Oximetries,Oximetries, Pulse,Pulse Oximetries
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003782	Dental Pulp	A richly vascularized and innervated connective tissue of mesodermal origin, contained in the central cavity of a tooth and delimited by the dentin, and having formative, nutritive, sensory, and protective functions. (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992)	Dental Pulps,Pulp, Dental,Pulps, Dental
D003791	Dental Pulp Test	A diagnostic aid used in evaluating the physical health of teeth. It involves using a tool that transmits hot or cold temperatures, or electric currents to a tooth's surface. The sensitivity to hot or cold or to the currents on a tooth can determine if there are problems with that tooth.	Dental Pulp Sensibility Test,Dental Pulp Vitality Test,Electric Pulp Test,Endo-Ice Test,Thermal Pulp Test,Dental Pulp Tests,Pulp Test, Dental,Pulp Tests, Dental,Test, Dental Pulp,Tests, Dental Pulp,Electric Pulp Tests,Endo Ice Test,Endo-Ice Tests,Pulp Test, Electric,Pulp Test, Thermal,Pulp Tests, Electric,Pulp Tests, Thermal,Test, Electric Pulp,Test, Endo-Ice,Test, Thermal Pulp,Tests, Electric Pulp,Tests, Endo-Ice,Tests, Thermal Pulp,Thermal Pulp Tests
D004568	Electrodiagnosis	Diagnosis of disease states by recording the spontaneous electrical activity of tissues or organs or by the response to stimulation of electrically excitable tissue.	Electrodiagnoses
D005188	False Negative Reactions	Negative test results in subjects who possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of diseased persons as healthy when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)	False Negative Reaction,Reaction, False Negative,Reactions, False Negative
D005189	False Positive Reactions	Positive test results in subjects who do not possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of healthy persons as diseased when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)	False Positive Reaction,Positive Reaction, False,Positive Reactions, False,Reaction, False Positive,Reactions, False Positive
D005260	Female		Females