title: Measurement of pulp blood flow rates in maxillary anterior teeth using ultrasound Doppler flowmetry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure pulp blood flow rates of clinically normal maxillary anterior teeth of healthy adults using ultrasound Doppler flowmetry (UDF).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 359 anterior teeth from 63 patients (mean age, 29.8 years; range, 22-52 years; 26 females and 36 males) were included. The data were collected according to tooth type (three groups: central incisors, lateral incisors and canines). An MM-D-K (Minimax, Moscow, Russia) ultrasound Doppler imaging instrument was used to measure pulp blood flow. Differences between the tooth types were analysed with one-way anova and a Bonferroni correction at the 95% confidence level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean average linear velocities during the systolic period (Vams) of the central incisors, lateral incisors and canines were 0.58, 0.58 and 0.52 cm s(-1) , respectively. There were no significant differences in the mean Vams between the tooth types (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within the limitations of this study, the pulp blood velocities of clinically normal, maxillary anterior teeth of healthy adults were between 0.5 and 0.6 cm s(-1) . There were no significant differences in mean blood flow rates between maxillary central incisors, lateral incisors and canines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Y-W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry, Oral Science Research Center, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: S-H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D003481:Cuspid / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla; D008875:Middle Aged; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
keywords: pulp blood flow; pulp vitality; ultrasound Doppler; vital teeth