Environmental effects on laser Doppler pulpal blood-flow measurements in man

• Published in: Archives of oral biology 1996-04, Vol.41 (4), p.333-339
• Main Authors: Hartmann, A., Azérad, J., Boucher, Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: dental pulp; Dental Pulp - blood supply; Dental Pulp Devitalization; Dentistry; Female; Humans; Incisor; laser Doppler flowmetry; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry - instrumentation; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry - methods; Male; man; periodontium; Periodontium - physiology; Polyurethanes; pulpal blood flow; Reproducibility of Results; Rubber Dams; Scattering, Radiation; Silicones; Splints
• ISSN: 0003-9969; 1879-1506
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-9969(95)00133-6

The increasing number of experiments using laser Doppler flowmetry in man for pulpal blood-flow recordings leads to questionning of the experimental recording conditions. The present study focused on three points: the design of the laser probe holder, the isolation of the tooth, and the influence of the recording site. A rigid polyurethane splint used in addition to different isolation devices (cotton roll, metal shield, rubber dam) was compared with a silicone splint. The silicone resulted in significantly higher values (+341%) than the polyurethane splint. The combination of the polyurethane splint with isolation devices decreased, in all cases, the flux values. The polyurethane/rubber-dam combination was the most efficient in individualizing the pulpal blood flow (−69% decrease). Recordings on non-vital teeth confirmed the hypothesis that there was periodontal contamination of the recorded flow, as the signal was abolished when using the polyurethane/rubber-dam combination. Cervical recording sites gave significantly higher values than occlusal sites (+42%). It is concluded that, in man, the part played by the periodontium may have been underestimated in previous recordings of pulpal blood flow. The use of a rubber dam in combination with a rigid splint to enhance the validity of recordings is proposed.