Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of tooth morphotype on intraindividual and interindividual variations of baseline data as well as on temporal variations between testing intervals in the assessment of pulpal blood-flow by means of laser Doppler flowmetry.
Study design: In 14 volunteers, maxillary incisors, canines, premolars, and first molars were investigated bilaterally by laser Doppler flowmetry to assess local pulpal blood-flow values. Measurements in perfusion units were taken during 3 sessions, with a time interval of 7 days between sessions.
Results: Intraindividual comparisons of tooth morphotype-related pulpal blood-flow values revealed significant differences only for the first molar, whereas significant interindividual differences were found for the lateral incisor, canine, premolars, and first molar. Pulpal blood-flow values for the second premolar (11.1 perfusion units) were significantly higher and those for the central incisor (7.6 perfusion units) significantly lower than those for the lateral incisor (9.2 perfusion units) and first molar (9.4 perfusion units). In contrast, measurements at the lateral incisor, first premolar, and first molar did not differ significantly (P > .05). Multiple testing showed no statistically significant effect on tooth morphotype-related pulpal blood-flow measurements.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that contralateral incisors, canines, and premolars are appropriate intraindividual controls for local pulpal blood-flow recordings. Other studies may identify the effect of environmental and technique-related factors on the assessment of local pulpal blood-flow values.