Abstract
Records of pulpal blood flow obtained from human teeth with a laser Doppler flowmeter include a very large component derived from the periodontal tissue and other tissues outside the pulp. This contamination can be reduced by isolating the tooth from the surrounding tissues. The purpose of the present study was to show that polymers and resins make possible an optimal pulp vitality testing when used for fixing the laser probe, as well as for reducing the signals originating from the periodontium. Recordings were taken from 10 healthy, intact frontal upper teeth, in 8 individuals, ages between 20 - 40 years. Signals were recorded with the laser Doppler MoorLab and a straight optical probe, MP3b. Two consecutive determinations of the pulpal blood flow at a 5 minute interval where taken for each tooth using the following methods: 1 – a silicone impression combined with light curing periodontal liquid dam, and 2 – without periodontal isolation system. The data were processed using the statistical analysis software SPSS v16.0.1. The combination of the silicon impression with the Light curing periodontal resin isolation decreased significantly statistic the flux values (68.01% decrease) and was more effective in individualizing the pulpal blood flow than simple silicone impression. The presented technique is a viable method for determining pulp vitality, reproducible, easily applicable and shows a significant reduction in the intake of nonpulpar origin signals. Key words: condensation silicones, light curing periodontal liquid dam, laser Doppler flowmetry, pulp vitality