The use of pulse oximetry in evaluation of pulp vitality in immature permanent teeth.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The current methods of pulp vitality assessment, either electric or thermal, are of limited use in children. Recently, traumatized and immature teeth may not respond to such methods and because such methods require subjective responses, it may not provide accurate results particularly in children. Pulse oximetry, an atraumatic approach, is used to measure oxygen saturation in vascular system. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of pulse oximetry to evaluate pulp vitality status in immature permanent teeth. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study was conducted on 329 maxillary central and lateral incisors in children. The negative control group consisted of 10 root filled teeth. Systemic oxygen saturation was first measured on the thumb of the individual using a custom-made sensor. Oxygen saturation values of the teeth were then evaluated. The correlation between oxygen saturation measurement obtained from finger and tooth, and the correlation between oxygen saturation values and stage of root development were analyzed. A further comparison was made between the teeth with open and closed apex. RESULTS: Mean oxygen values recorded in the patient's finger were 97.17%, and mean oxygen values in the maxillary central and lateral incisors were 86.77% and 83/92%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between blood oxygen levels in the finger and in the teeth. (P > 0.05) There was a significant negative correlation between the stage of root development and the blood oxygen levels in the patients' teeth. (P < 0.05) Mean oxygen values in the teeth with open apex were significantly higher than the teeth with closed apex. (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Vital teeth provided consistent oxygen saturation readings, and non-vital teeth recorded no oxygen saturation values. During tooth development, the oxygen saturation values decreased. These findings confirm that the pulse oximetry is capable of detecting the pulpal blood flow and oxygen saturation.

Effect of 17% EDTA and MTAD on intracanal smear layer removal: a scanning electron microscopic study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of MTAD as the final irrigant to remove the smear layer, compared with that of 17% EDTA, both following root canal irrigation with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). Fifty-five extracted maxillary and mandibular single-rooted human teeth were prepared by a crown-down technique using rotary 0.04 and 0.06 taper nickel-titanium files. 5.25% sodium hypochlorite was used as the intracanal irrigant. The canals were then treated with 5 mL of one of the following solutions as final rinse: 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, 17% EDTA or MTAD. The presence or absence of smear layer in the coronal, middle and apical portion of each canal was examined with a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that MTAD is an effective final rinse solution for removing the smear layer in canals irrigated with sodium hypochlorite. When 17% EDTA was used as a final rinse, the smear layer was removed from the middle and coronal thirds of canal preparations, but it was less effective in the apical third of the canals.