title: Pilot Study of Laser Doppler Measurement of Flow Variability in the Microcirculation of the Palatal Mucosa.
abstract: Background. Histopathological alterations can arise when the denture-supporting mucosa experiences microbial and mechanical stress through the denture base and diagnosis of these diseases usually follows microvascular changes. Microcirculation measurement could allow for detection of such dysfunction and aid in the early diagnosis of palatal mucosa pathologies. Materials and Methods. We tested the sensitivity of laser Doppler for measuring the microcirculation of the palatal mucosa, assessing the median raphe (MR), Schroeder area (SA), and retroincisive papilla (RP). A Doppler PeriFlux 5000 System, containing a laser diode, was used. 54 healthy participants were recruited. We compare the measurements of PU (perfusion unit) using ANOVA test. Results. The numerical values for palatal mucosa blood flow differed significantly among the anatomical areas (p = 0.0167). The mean value of Schroeder area was 92.6 (SD: 38.4) and was significantly higher than the retroincisive papilla (51.9) (SD: 20.2) (p < 0.05), which in turn was higher than that of median raphe (31.9) (SD: 24.2) (p < 0.0001). Conclusion. Schroeder area appeared to have the greatest sensitivity, and vascular flow variability among individuals was also greatest in this region. We suggest that analysis of blood stream modification with laser Doppler of the palatal mucosa can help to detect onset signs of pathological alterations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodonthics, UIC Odontologie, CHU de Nantes, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Bars
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodonthics, UIC Odontologie, CHU de Nantes, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Gaston
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Niagha
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodonthics, UIC Odontologie, CHU de Nantes, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Ayepa Alain
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kouadio
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Dental School of Brest, 22 Avenue Camille Desmoulins, 29238 Brest Cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Demoersman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, UIC Odontologie, CHU Nantes, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Department of Restaurative Dentistry, UIC Odontologie, CHU Nantes, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Armengol
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, UIC Odontologie, LIOAD U-791, 1 Place Alexis Ricordeau, 44042 Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Assem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soueidan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D010159:Palate / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult