Measurement of blood perfusion in the dental pulp with laser Doppler flowmetry

The reproducibility of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in measuring the perfusion of the dental pulp was investigated. A second aim was to establish if the LDF signal from the dental pulp can be influenced by physiological stimuli, e.g. postural changes. A third aim was to apply the technique to clinical measurements of pulp perfusion in patients undergoing orthodontic therapy. A custom splint to position the probe was fabricated for 10 subjects, and measurements of pulpal perfusion in the maxillary six anterior teeth were repeated on eight occasions with the subject seated. Further, measurements of the dental pulp perfusion in one tooth were repeated with the subject in a standing and supine position. Mean perfusion (arbitrary perfusion units) for individual teeth varied from 2.7 for a central incisor to 15.5 for a lateral incisor. Perfusion was greatest for lateral incisors and least for central incisors. Pulpal perfusion was significantly higher in a supine than in a standing or sitting position. Initial clinical experience with LDF encourages further investigation of its potential as a diagnostic tool for determining pulp vitality. Preliminary experimental results suggest that LDF will be a valuable source indicating pulpal response to orthodontic therapy with fixed appliances.