Evaluation of gingival microcirculation by a laser-Doppler flowmeter. Preliminary results

Up to now, only qualitative studies have been performed on gingival microcirculation whereas quantitative methods have been used in animal experiments, by the injection of microspheres for instance. The authors had the opportunity of using a Laser-Doppler Flowmeter (LDF) which had already served to explore the cutaneous microvascular blood flow. At first, it was necessary to modify an occlusal splint for good immobilisation of the probe on the gingival mucosa. Then they made a study on twenty healthy students with measurements of red cell velocity in superficial maxillary gingival mucosa. Each subject was tested twice at an interval of one-month. A statistical analysis shows very good reproducibility of the tests, especially for the pulsative velocity, despite a rather high variability between the subjects. The haemodynamic parameters (heart rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure) do not seem to have a significant influence on the values obtained. The LDF is a very good instrument for the evaluation of gingival microvascular flow, as has been demonstrated for cutaneous microcirculation. A wide range of applications can be considered for this sensitive and harmless technique.