Abstract
Tests relying on the passage of light through a tooth have been considered to be a
suitable means of assessing vascularity and pulp vitality. Pulse oximetry is an effective,
objective oxygen saturation monitoring technique broadly used in medicine for recording
blood oxygen saturation levels. It can also be used in endodontic diagnosis for differential
diagnosis of vital pulps and necrotic ones. In pulse oximetry, light is passed from
a photoelectric diode across the tooth structure into a receptor. The instrument detects
changes in absorption in both red and infrared light caused by alteration in tissue
volume (tissue perfusion) during the cardiac cycle. However, there are some limitations
inherent in the technology of pulse oximetry, such as the effect of increased acidity
and metabolic rate, which cause deoxygenating of hemoglobin and changes in the blood
oxygen saturation. Also, movements of the body or probe can complicate readings. Because
this test produces no noxious stimuli, apprehensive or distressed patients may accept
it more readily than routine methods. A review of the literature and a discussion
of the potential application of this system in endodontics are presented.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of EndodonticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Pathways of the Pulp.9th ed. Mosby, St. Louis2006
- Ingle's Endodontics.6th ed. Decker Inc, Hamilton: B.C2008
- Pulse oximetry: a diagnostic instrument in pulpal vitality testing.J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2002; 26: 141-145
- Measurement of blood flow in the dental pulp of dogs with the 133xenon washout method.Arch Oral Biol. 1983; 28: 501-505
- Blood flow in the dental pulp in dogs measured by local H2 gas desaturation technique.Arch Oral Biol. 1975; 20: 73-79
- Effect of Le Fort I osteotomy on maxillary tooth-type-related pulpal blood-flow characteristics.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2000; 89: 88-90
- Effect of segmental Le Fort I osteotomy on maxillary tooth type-related pulpal blood-flow characteristics.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2000; 89: 749-752
- A two-probe laser Doppler flowmetry assessment as an exclusive diagnostic device in a long-term follow-up of traumatised teeth: a case report.Dent Traumatol. 2002; 18: 86-91
- Diagnostic characteristics of pulpal blood flow levels associated with adverse outcomes of luxated permanent maxillary incisors.Dent Traumatol. 2004; 20: 270-275
- Laser Doppler flowmetry of luxated permanent incisors: a receiver operator characteristic analysis.J Oral Rehabil. 2004; 31: 866-872
- The sources of laser Doppler blood-flow signals recorded from vital and root canal treated teeth.Arch Oral Biol. 2004; 49: 53-57
- Assessment of the efficacy of an indigenously developed pulse oximeter dental sensor holder for pulp vitality testing.Indian J Dent Res. 2006; 17: 111-113
- Comparison of electrical, thermal, and pulse oximetry methods for assessing pulp vitality in recently traumatized teeth.J Endod. 2007; 33: 531-535
- Evaluation of efficacy of a new custom-made pulse oximeter dental probe in comparison with the electrical and thermal tests for assessing pulp vitality.J Endod. 2007; 33: 411-414
- Dual wavelength spectrophotometry as a diagnostic test of the pulp chamber contents.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1992; 74: 508-514
- Pulpal blood flow in vital and nonvital young permanent teeth measured by transmitted-light photoplethysmography: a pilot study.Pediatr Dent. 2002; 24: 594-598
- Computerized infrared thermographic imaging and pulpal blood flow: part 1. A protocol for thermal imaging of human teeth.Int Endod J. 2000; 33: 442-447
- Computerized infrared thermographic imaging and pulpal blood flow: part 2. Rewarming of healthy human teeth following a controlled cold stimulus.Int Endod J. 2000; 33: 448-462
- An evaluation of the use of tooth temperature to assess human pulp vitality.Int Endod J. 2004; 37: 374-380
- The application of tooth temperature measurement in endodontic diagnosis: a review.J Endod. 2008; 34: 1435-1440
- Optical determination of dental pulp vitality.IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 1991; 38: 346-352
- Pulse oximetry as a diagnostic tool of pulpal vitality.J Endod. 1991; 17: 488-490
- Optical detection of pulpal blood.J Endod. 1994; 20: 164-168
- History of blood gas analysis. VII. Pulse oximetry.J Clin Monit. 1987; 3: 135-138
- A historical overview and update on pulse oximetry.Anesthesiol Rev. 1993; 20: 173-181
- Comment on the modified Beer-Lambert law for scattering media.Phys Med Biol. 2004; 49: 255-257
- Measurement of the coagulation dynamics of bovine liver using the modified microscopic Beer-Lambert law.Lasers Surg Med. 2005; 36: 365-370
- The modified Beer-Lambert law revisited.Phys Med Biol. 2006; 51: 91-98
- Pulse oximetry.Curr Opin Crit Care. 2006; 12: 269-271
- Pulse oximetry: an overview.J Perioper Pract. 2006; 16: 502-504
- Pulse oximetry evaluation of vitality in primary and immature permanent teeth.Pediatr Dent. 1999; 21: 125-127
- Evaluation of a pulse oximeter and customized probe for pulp vitality testing.J Endod. 1996; 22: 105-109
- Determination of pulp vitality in vivo with pulse oximetry.Int Endod J. 2008; 41: 741-746
- Pulse oximetry. Uses and abuses.Chest. 1990; 98: 1244-1250
- Noninvasive methods for estimating in vivo oxygenation.Clin Pediatr. 1992; 31: 258-273
- The use of pulse oximetry during conscious sedation. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association.J Am Dent Assoc. 1993; 270: 1463-1468
- Dental pulp photoplethysmography in human beings.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1973; 36: 915-921
- The use of pulse oximetry in dentistry.J Am Dent Assoc. 1995; 126: 1274-1276
- Orban's Oral Histology and Embryology.11th ed. Mosby, St. Louis1991
- Pulse oximetry: a review of the theory, accuracy, and clinical applications.Obstet Gynecol. 1989; 74: 541-546
- Limitations of pulse oximetry.Anesth Prog. 1992; 39: 194-196
- Pulse oximetry: theory and applications for noninvasive monitoring.Clin Chem. 1992; 38: 1601-1607
- Pulse oximetry—a method of vitality testing for teeth?.Br Dent J. 1992; 172: 334-335
- Detection of pulse in oral mucosa and dental pulp by means of optical reflection method.Endod Dent Traumatol. 1996; 12: 54-59
- Cardiovascular monitoring and its consequences in oral surgery.Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed. 2005; 115: 208-213
- Monitoring of vital signs during dental care.Int Dent J. 2006; 56: 102-108
- Effects of mandibular setback surgery on oropharyngeal airway and arterial oxygen saturation.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 37: 328-333
- Pulse oximetry as a definitive diagnostic tool.J Endod. 1993; 19 (abstr): 186
- Pulse oximetry monitoring of sedated pediatric dental patients.Anesth Prog. 1985; 32: 237-240
- The technology of pulse oximetry.Biomed Instrum Technol. 1989; 23: 188-193
- Arterial oxygen desaturation in adult dental patients receiving conscious sedation.J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1989; 47: 936-939
- General anaesthesia, sedation and resuscitation in dentistry. Report of an expert working party.Department of Health, LondonMarch 1990
- Sleep on the cheap: the role of overnight oximetry in the diagnosis of sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome.Thorax. 1999; 54: 958-959
- New-generation pulse oximetry in the care of critically ill patients.Am J Crit Care. 2005; 14: 26-37
- Overnight pulse oximetry for sleep-disordered breathing in adults: a review.Chest. 2001; 120: 625-633
- The effect of motion on pulse oximetry and its clinical significance.Anesth Analg. 2007; 105: 78-84
- Fluorescent light interferes with pulse oximetry.J Clin Monit. 1989; 5: 135-136
- Do clinicians know how to use pulse oximetry? A literature review and clinical implications.Aust Crit Care. 2006; 19: 139-144
- Detection of pulpal circulation in vitro by pulse oximetry.J Endod. 1996; 22: 1-5
- Pulse oximetry: evaluation of accuracy during outpatient general anesthesia for oral surgery.Anesth Prog. 1988; 35: 53-60
- Pulse oximetry for hypoxemia: a warning to users and manufacturers.Intensive Care Med. 1989; 15: 540-542
- Pulse oximeter in the dental surgery.Anesth Prog. 1989; 36: 146-147
- Benefits and limitations of pulse oximetry in the I.C.U.J Crit III. 1989; 4: 23-31
- Pulse oximetry.Indian J Anaesth. 2002; 46: 261-268
- Feline dental pulp photoplethysmography during stimulation of vasomotor nerve supply.Arch Oral Biol. 1974; 19: 81-86
- Optical characteristics of human extracted teeth and the possible application of photoplethysmography to the human pulp.Arch Oral Biol. 1994; 39: 821-827
- Endodontics: Principles and practice.4th ed. Elsevier, UK2008
Article info
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
