Use of ultrasound Doppler to determine tooth vitality in a discolored tooth after traumatic injury: its prospects and limitations

When a tooth shows discoloration and does not respond to the cold test or electric pulp test (EPT) after a traumatic injury, its diagnosis can be even more difficult due to the lack of proper diagnostic methods to evaluate its vitality. In these case reports, we hope to demonstrate that ultrasound Doppler might be successfully used to evaluate the vitality of the tooth after trauma, and help reduce unnecessary endodontic treatments. In all three of the present cases, the teeth were discolored after traumatic injuries and showed negative responses to the cold test and EPT. However, they showed distinctive vital reactions in the ultrasound Doppler test during the whole observation period. In the first case, the tooth color returned to normal, and the tooth showed a positive response to the cold test and EPT at 10 wk after the injury. In the second case, the tooth color had returned to its normal shade at 10 wk after the traumatic injury but remained insensitive to the cold test and EPT. In the third case, the discoloration was successfully treated with vital tooth bleaching.

Changes in pulpal blood flow during orthodontic tooth movement studied by Doppler ultrasound / 대한치과교정학회지

OBJECTIVE: This study was to change of pulp blood flow among maxillary and mandibular anterior tooth with mild crowding and adjacent teeth using Ultrasound Doppler graphy. METHODS: The change of pulp blood flow was measured three times using Ultrasound Doppler graphy; before the attachment of brackets, after 3 week, and after 6 week. The sample consists of 15 year old eighteen patients. RESULTS: Before the attachment of brackets, after 3 weeks, and after 6 weeks, there were no significant differences in the change of pulp blood flow in each part (maxilla and mandible) and each tooth according to period. In addition, to compare internal dangerousness of loss of the pulp vitality, when pulp blood flow is compared in each tooth before orthodontic treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in maxillary lateral incisor and mandibular canine but it showed low values in all measurement items (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study can be not only methodological preliminary data in further study such as tooth movement type of Ultrasound Doppler graphy and particular study considered the patient age, but also reference materials for the loss of pulp vitality in orthodontic treatment.

THE PROGNOSIS OF THE TEETH IN THE MANDIBULAR FRACTURE LINES

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the vitality of the teeth in and adjacent to the mandibular fracture line according to variable conditions of fracture and to establish the protocol of treatment of fracture line teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The vitality of 97 teeth in fracture line and 104 teeth adjacent to fracture line of 52 patients were invested preoperatively. Of these, 66 teeth in fracture line and 72 teeth adjacent to fracture line were monitored at least 6 months after operation. An electric pulp tester was used to measure pulpal response. The relationships between the vitality of teeth in variable time(preoperation, immediate post-operation; within 1 week after operation, and 6 months after operation) and variable conditions of fracture(horizontal, vertical gap of fracture line, the number of fracture line)were evaluated statistically. RESULT: The vitality of fracture line teeth in the 6 months after operation statistically differed by the vertical gap of fracture line and the number of fracture line. The vitality of fracture line adjacent teeth in the immediate post-operation only statistically differed by the vertical gap of fracture line. There were statistically differences between preoperative EPT value and vitality of fracture line teeth on 6 months after operation. There were 5 cases of complications including periapical and periodontal abscess. Of these, only one tooth was extracted and the others were well treated with endodontic treatment and subgingival curettage. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to retain teeth and to monitor the vitality of teeth in and adjacent to fracture line, unless there is an absolute indication for extraction.