[Objective assessment of clinical gingival findings by using photoplethysmography]

The effects of vaso-active drugs on the inclination time and the plateau index in the plethysmogram were determined on different days and at different hours of the day. A first evaluation of the limits of performance and of the diagnostic possibilities, based on 1,500 measured values, permits to conclude that this technique is suited for differentiating between normal and disturbed periodontal microcirculation, and between functional and organic vascular changes.