Evaluation of Oxygen Saturation Levels Using a Custom-modified Finger Pulse Oximeter for Assessment of Pulp Vitality in Various Clinical Situations in Pediatric Dental Practice: An In Vivo Study.

Background: A major drawback of traditional pulp testing procedures is that they depend on neural responses rather than vascular circulation. Hence, this study aimed to develop a custom-modified dental sensor using a finger pulse oximeter (PO) that is applicable to any type of tooth so as to test its ability and accuracy in evaluating the oxygen saturation (SaO ₂ ) values of teeth at different developmental stages as a measure of pulp vitality.
Materials and Methods: A customized finger PO was employed to determine the systemic and pulp SaO ₂ levels in 300 children. A total of 600 teeth (primary and permanent) were divided into group I (100 primary molars), group II (200 permanent molars), group III (200 permanent incisors), and 100 endodontically treated (primary and permanent) teeth were included in group IV. The mean SaO ₂ values thus obtained in various groups were compared.
Results: Intragroup comparison of mean SaO ₂ % of the patient's finger (systemic), test teeth, and control teeth showed significant differences ( p ≤ 0.001). Intergroup comparisons also revealed significant differences in most of the groups.
Conclusions: The modified PO probe can be applied to any type of tooth. It was found to be accurate and sensitive enough to detect changes in SaO ₂ levels in various clinical situations irrespective of developmental stage. It proved to be a direct method of evaluation of pulp vitality by objective means.
How to Cite This Article: Patil A, Garg N, Pathivada L, et al. Evaluation of Oxygen Saturation Levels Using a Custom-modified Finger Pulse Oximeter for Assessment of Pulp Vitality in Various Clinical Situations in Pediatric Dental Practice: An In Vivo Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(S-1):S30-S36.
Competing Interests: Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: NoneConflict of interest: None
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