title: Age-related changes in the human pulpal blood flow measured by laser Doppler flowmetry.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the age-related changes in human pulpal blood flow (PBF). Recordings were taken from 22 clinically healthy upper central incisors in 22 healthy participants (age: 8-75 years). A Moor blood flow monitor (type MBF3D) was used to measure PBF; and subjects' electrocardiogram (ECG), mean blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were also recorded. The resting PBF was significantly decreased with the increased age of the participants (Pearson's correlation coefficient, P < 0.001). The examined tooth crown was briefly(1 s) cooled using a dental coolant, and significant reductions in PBF were induced (one-way repeated measures anova, P < 0.05). The magnitude of the reduction (%) was significantly decreased with the increased age of the participants (Pearson's correlation coefficient, P < 0.05). The findings indicate that the hemodynamics in the human pulp is reduced with age.
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontics and Endodontics, Department of Oral Rehabilitation and Materials Science, , Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai, Japan. moto-i@mail.cc.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Motohide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikawa
authors.forename: Hideji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikawa
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mayanagi
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimauchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric