• 대한전기학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한전기학회 2003년도 학술회의 논문집 정보 및 제어부문 B
• /
• pp.720-723
• /
• 2003

Electric stimulation of teeth is used for assessing pulp vitality. Because of very high and wide range of impedance of the enamel, electric pulp testers use high voltage, high output impedance and alternative current source. Most pulp testers use voltage stimulation method and their stimulating threshold levels significantly depend on each individual. Therefore, a constant current stimulator is necessary to minimize the effect of wide variation in enamel thickness. In this study, we constructed a constant current source type of pulp tester with the maximum current of 150 uA.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• 제29권3호
• /
• pp.226-232
• /
• 2004

Use of electric pulp testing elicits painful response in vital teeth. In this study, we examined the excessive time from pain feeling to stimulation disconnection in clinical situation. D626D (Parkell Inc., USA.) scan type electric pulp tester was used in total of 23 young healthy individuals. Each of the right central incisors and first premolars were used as testing teeth. Stimulation disconnection was achieved by EMG in anterior belly of digastric muscle, finger span, and voice and the excessive stimulation time over the sensory thresh-old was recorded. As a result, we found that the short responses before the stimulation disconnection appeared following order：EMG, finger span, and voice. The EMG disconnection is suggested to be used to reduce the excessive stimulus time in electric pulp testing.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• 제37권6호
• /
• pp.464-469
• /
• 2011

Introduction: As dental implant surgery is becoming increasingly popular, it has become one of the causes for the hypesthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve, along with other surgical procedures, such as a third molar extraction. In addition, it tends to cause legal problems between the operator and patient. Therefore, there must be a proper method that is reliable, objective and economical to assess the nerve impairment. For this reason, an attempt was made to use an Electric Pulp Tester to assess inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients were tested. Electric pulp testing of the lower jaw skin was performed at the three different times, before anesthesia, at the onset of sensory changes and after 15 minutes waiting from the onset, and on the 10 points of the chin, which produced 10 sections on the skin area. Results: Twenty seven patients (90%) could feel the electric stimulus on the chin at all 10 points before local anesthesia and the scores represent the statistical differences between the right and left points except R4 and L4. After anesthesia, the difference between the right and left points (L3-R3, L4-R4, L5-R5) increased significantly with time but two points (L2, R2) showed no significant difference. The scores on the left chin (L3, L4, L5) increased, whereas the other points (R1-R5, L1, L2) showed no significant differences. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential clinical use of an electric pulp tester for an assessment of inferior alveolar nerve impairment.

• 전자공학회논문지SC
• /
• 제41권2호
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2004

전기를 이용한 치아의 자극은 치수의 생활력 평가의 한 방법이다. 전기 치수 검사의 기본원리는 치아 내의 치수에 전류 자극을 가하여 유발되는 통증 유무로 치수의 생활력을 평가한다. 그러나 치아의 에나멜질의 임피던스가 크고 개인에 따라 차이가 많기 때문에 치아의 상태에 영향을 받지 않으면서 자극을 제어하기가 불가능하다. 대부분의 치수검사기가 전압 자극 방법을 사용하고 있어 개인에 따라 자극 역치 값이 크게 변화한다 그러므로 치아 에나멜질의 두께 차에 의해 발생하는 영향을 최소화하기 위해 정 전류 치수 검사기가 필요하다. 그리고 치아 임피던스에 관계없이 넓은 전류 범위를 갖는 치수 검사기가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 전류 안정 회로를 사용하여 최대 150 uA의 전류와 통증을 완화하는 버스트 파형을 발생시킬 수 있는 정 전류원 치수 검사기를 개발하고 그 성능을 확인하였다.

• 전기학회논문지
• /
• 제61권8호
• /
• pp.1204-1209
• /
• 2012

To diagnose dental pulp vitality, electric pulp tester has been widely used, which is a method to test condition of nerve. However, especially in the case of patients with trauma, nerve desensitization could temporarily occur even though nerve might be recovered by blood flow within the pulp later, which implies that blood flow in dental pulp is also an important factor for diagnosing vitality. This paper described the development of a probe that relatively measured blood flow in dental pulp using photoplethysmography (PPG). The probe emits four different wavelength light sources including three visible and an infrared light. We tested which light source detect sensitively the blood flow in dental pulp. As a result, green light had the largest peak to peak voltage and the power spectrum among different wavelengths.

• 전자공학회논문지SC
• /
• 제41권6호
• /
• pp.43-49
• /
• 2004

치수 검사(pulp test)는 치아에 물리적 및 화학적 자극을 가하여 치수의 생활력(vitality) 여부를 판별하는 검사이다. 치과 임상에서 수행되는 검사 과정에서 피검자는 치아에 가해지는 역치 이상의 자극으로 인하여 큰 고통과 스트레스에 노출된다. 본 논문에서는 생활치수의 전기 치수 검사 시, 자극의 강도를 서서히 증가시켜 역치에 이르게 되면 나타나는 피검자의 동통반응으로 개구반사에 의한 악이복근의 근전도, 발성에 의한 음성 반응, 손가락의 움직임에 의한 반응을 각각 측정하였다. 또한 동통 반응이 발생하는 시점으로부터 자극이 차단될 때까지 피검자에게 필요이상으로 인가되는 과용 자극 시간을 측정하였으며, 과용자극 시간 측정 시 치수 검사기의 자극 차단 주체자에 따른 과용 자극 시간을 측정 분석하였다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 동통 반응에 의한 인체 반응 신호를 이용하여 치수검사기의 출력을 자동으로 차단하는 제어 스위치를 구성하였다. 피검자가 역치 자극을 느낀 후 나타나는 최초의 인체 반응의 10 ms 이내에 신속하게 검사기의 출력을 차단함으로써 과용자극 시간을 줄이고자 하였다.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.278-290
• /
• 1997

The purposes of this study were to evaluate and compare the pulpal anesthesia induced by an inferior alveolar nerve block and that by Gow-Gates technique, and to investigate the relationship between pulpal anesthesia and intraoral soft tissue responses. After one side of mandibule was anesthetized with inferior alveolar nerve block or Gow-Gates technique using 2 % lidocaine with 1 : 100,000 epinephrine in 19 volunteers of ages between 24 and 29 (16 males and 3 females, average age 25.9 yrs.), electric pulp tests were done on the canine teeth of the anesthetized side and contralateral one before, at 1 min, continued at every 5 minutes until 60 min, and every 10 minutes until 100 min after completion of local anesthetic injection. Degree of pulpal anesthesia was classified as anesthetic failure, possible anesthesia and complete anesthesia by the criteria based on the thresholds to electric pulp test of contralateral canine and the currents of the electric pulp tester. Subjective signs on the lower lip and tongue were checked and prick-pin tests were done on the buccal gingiva of the first molar, buccal and lingual gingiva of the canine tooth at 5, 10 and 20 min after the completion of anesthetic injection. Thresholds to electric pulp test, degree of pulpal anesthesia and relationship between the pulpal anesthesia and soft tissue responses were analyzed with SPSS, paired t-test, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test and correlation analysis. The results were as follows : No significant differences were found in the peak thresholds to electric pulp test, in the induction time to it and in the depth of pulpal anesthesia between inferior alveolar nerve block and Gow-Gates technique (p>0.05). There was no significant relationship between pulpal anesthesia and soft tissue responses in both inferior nerve block and Gow-Gates technique.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.296-299
• /
• 1998

After orthognathic surgery, postoperative complications are studied by many clinician. The complications include sensory disturbance, jaw fracture, excessive bleeding, condylar positional changes and loss of pulp vitality. Few surgical procedures are as satisfying for the surgeon and patient as a well-done orthognathic surgery. On the other hand, the patient is more satisfied with the result than who are treated with only orthodontic treatment especially in severe deformity case. There are problems that patient overcome but it is not serious complications. One of these, the problem about loss of pulp vitality can't influence function but give a lot of discomfort to the patient. From September 1997 to January 1998, 7 patients who are treated for dentofacial deformity via Le Fort I osteotomy or anterior segmental osteotomy were examined pulp sensitivity using digital pulp tester. This preliminary study have a focus on the investigation of recovery of pulp vitality. The electric pulpal test were used at preoperative, postoperative, at intervals. And we report some results acquired from this study. Follwing result are obtained 1. In anterior segmental ostetomy case (1 case), total 12 teeth were examined. Postoperative 8 weeks, 1 tooth are positive reaction 2. In Le Fort I osteotomy case (6 case), total 71 teeth were examined. Postoperative 8 weeks, 5 teeth are positive reaction

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• 제30권4호
• /
• pp.465-473
• /
• 2005

냉온자극 또는 잇솔질에 불편감을 호소하는 치과 외래 환자를 72명을 대상으로 레이저 조사를 시행한 실험군(45명)과 모의 레이저 조사를 시행한 대조군(27명)으로 나누어 지각 과민 치아의 치경부에 냉자극 및 기계적 자극을 가하여 대상자가 느끼는 불편감을 NPS로 평가하였다. 치아의 통증역치 평가를 위하여 전기치수검사기(EPT)를 사용하였다. 각 치아에 대한 레이저 조사에는 pulsed Nd:YAG 레이저를 사용하였고 조사조건은 1.5W, 20Hz, 75mJ/pulse으로 4분간 비접촉식으로 시행하였다. 대상자의 반응을 레이저 조사 전과 직후, 1주 이내, 2주 이내 각각 평가하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. 지각 과민 치아에 대한 Nd:YAG 레이저 조사는 지각 과민을 완화시켜 주었으며 대조군에 비해 그 효과가 현저하였다. 2. 심한 지각 과민을 호소하는 치아에 대한 위약 효과는 존재하였으나 중등도의 지각 과민을 호소하는 치아에 대한 위약효과는 배제할 수 있었다. 3. 지각 과민 치아에 대한 Nd:YAG 레이저 조사는 전기치수검사에 의한 통증역치에 영향을 주지 않았다. 4. 지각 과민 치아에 대한 Nd:YAG 레이저 조사의 효과는 최소 2주는 지속되었다. 따라서 지각 과민 치아에 대한 치료법의 하나로 Nd:YAG 레이저 조사가 임상적으로 유용할 것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• 제26권5호
• /
• pp.507-513
• /
• 2000

Objective : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the vitality of the teeth in and adjacent to the mandibular fracture line according to variable conditions of fracture and to establish the protocol of treatment of fracture line teeth. Materials and Methods : The vitality of 97 teeth in fracture line and 104 teeth adjacent to fracture line of 52 patients were invested preoperatively. Of these, 66 teeth in fracture line and 72 teeth adjacent to fracture line were monitored at least 6 months after operation. An electric pulp tester was used to measure pulpal response. The relationships between the vitality of teeth in variable time(preoperation, immediate post-operation; within 1 week after operation, and 6 months after operation) and variable conditions of fracture(horizontal, vertical gap of fracture line, the number of fracture line)were evaluated statistically. Result : The vitality of fracture line teeth in the 6 months after operation statistically differed by the vertical gap of fracture line and the number of fracture line. The vitality of fracture line adjacent teeth in the immediate post-operation only statistically differed by the vertical gap of fracture line. There were statistically differences between preoperative EPT value and vitality of fracture line teeth on 6 months after operation. There were 5 cases of complications including periapical and periodontal abscess. Of these, only one tooth was extracted and the others were well treated with endodontic treatment and subgingival curettage. Conclusion : It is recommended to retain teeth and to monitor the vitality of teeth in and adjacent to fracture line, unless there is an absolute indication for extraction.