Laser Doppler flowmetry in the assessment of tooth vitality after Le Fort I osteotomy

The aim of the present study was to evaluate pulp vitality in 15 patients, 11 to 29 months after a Le Fort I osteotomy. Assessment of pulpal blood flow was obtained by means of laser Doppler flowmetry, and it was measured bilaterally from the first maxillary premolar to the central incisor. The results were compared with those obtained by electric pulp testing in the same teeth. In addition, periodontal ligament perception was evaluated by applying axial loads to the central incisors. Radiographs were also studied. Fourteen subjects served as a control group. There was no significant difference between the level of pulpal blood flow in the teeth of the operated group compared with the control group. Twenty-one per cent of the teeth in the group operated on were insensitive to electric pulp testing, and in the remaining 79% the mean threshold was significantly higher than in the corresponding teeth in the control subjects. Similarly, the axial load threshold for the incisors for the control subjects was below 5 g, but in the group operated on 66% had a threshold above 5 g. These experiments clearly demonstrate that teeth without normal innervation can have an intact blood supply and be vital.