Diagnosis for pulpitis by means of pulpal blood flow

为了建立测量牙髓血流量诊断牙髓炎的新方法，我们研制了一种新的牙髓血流量测量仪。首先，我们研究了激光功率的增加对从生命牙齿和非生命牙齿传输的激光信号的影响，以期通过透射式激光流量计更好地评估人类牙髓的活力。本实验对15名22~28岁的受试者共61颗未修复的上颌中切牙(19颗上中切牙，16颗上侧切牙，16颗上尖牙，10颗第一前磨牙)和5颗非生根中切牙(根管充填牙胶)进行了实验研究。为了与传输的激光一起使用，使用了传统激光多普勒流量计(LDF)仪器探头内的光纤，一种用于将光传输到唇面，另一种用于在同一牙齿的腭面接收光，如先前报道的那样。激光输出功率为…更多的设置在原来的2兆瓦，也在5，7和10兆瓦。在每个激光功率设置下显示血流(BF)信号的活齿数目为：1)2 mW时12/19颗中切牙，5、7和10 mW时19/19颗，2)2、5、7和10 mW时19/19颗侧切牙，3)2 mW时0/16颗尖牙，5、7和10 mW时8、12和14颗，4)2、5、7和10 mW时0/10颗第一前磨牙。因此，激光功率的增加增加了对较厚牙齿(但不是从前磨牙)的BF检测。此外，更清晰的BF信号与心率同步，继发于血压的更大的被动BF变化。(BP)在较高的激光设置下观察到变化。在非活体牙齿中，没有观察到与心率或血压变化同步的信号，这表明即使在激光功率增加的情况下，也没有监测到非牙髓起源的血流信号。这些结果表明，高功率透射式激光可以作为监测牙髓血流和评估牙髓活力的有用工具。较少

To establish the new method for diagnosing pulpitis by means of measure pulpal blood flow, we develop a new apparatus for measuring pulpal blood flow. First, we investigate the effect of an increase in laser power on the transmitted laser signals from vital and non-vital teeth, in the hope of achieving a better assessment of human pulp vitality with the transmitted laser-light flowmeter. The experiments were carried out on total of 61 vital teeth with no restoration (19 upper central incisors, 16 upper lateral incisors, 16 upper canines, and 10 first premolars) and 5 non-vital upper central incisors (the root canals of which were filled with gutta-percha) in 15 subjects aged 22-28 years. For use with transmitted laser light, the fibers within the probe of a conventional laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF) apparatus were used, one for transmitting light onto the labial surface, the other for receiving it at the palatal surface of the same tooth, as reported previously. Laser output power was … More set at the original 2 mW and also at 5, 7, and 10 mW. The number of vital teeth displaying a blood flow (BF) signal at each laser power setting was : 1) 12/19 central incisors at 2 mW, 19/19 at 5, 7, and 10m W, 2) 19/19 lateral incisors at 2, 5, 7, and 10 mW, 3) 0/16 canines at 2 mW, but eight, twelve, and fourteen at 5, 7, and 10 mW, 4) 0/10 first premolars at 2, 5, 7, and 10 mW. Thus, an increase in laser power increased BF detection from the thicker teeth (but not from premolars). In addition, clearer BF signals synchronized with heart rate, and greater passive BF changes secondary to blood pressure. (BP) changes were observed at higher laser settings. In non-vital teeth, no signals synchronized with heart rate or BP changes were observed, indicating that no blood flow signal of non-pulpal origin was ever monitored with this ballistic light even when the laser power was increased. These results indicate that high-powered transmitted laser light could be a useful tool both for monitoring pulpal blood flow and for the assessment of tooth-pulp vitality. Less