Idiomas disponibles
Idiomas disponibles
Fig. 12
Vitality Testing with the Digitest 3
Pulp Tester
1. To activate the unit, press and hold the start
button (Figure 12) for a half second, and
then release the button. When the button is
depressed, the display will show one row of
horizontal bars if the stimulus rate is set for
"SLOW", two rows for "MEDIUM", or three rows
for "FAST" (Figure 13).
2. If the desired stimulus rate mode was dis-
played, the vitality test may proceed, as de-
tailed in Step 4.
3. If you wish to change the stimulus rate
mode, simply press the button and the mode
will change after the button is released.
NOTE: The unit will remember the last stim-
ulus rate mode setting, even if the device is
powered down.
4. Place the toothpaste - covered tip of the
Tooth Probe on the middle of the labial or
lingual surface of the tooth. Avoid soft tissue
and restorations such as crowns, amalgams
or composites.
5. Depress and hold the button, and the display
number will rise, indicating that a gentle stim-
ulus is being applied to the tooth.
6. When the patient indicates that they feel the
stimulus, pressure on the button should be
released. Releasing pressure on the button
will stop the test and freeze the digital screen.
The screen will remain illuminated for approx-
imately 14 seconds once pressure is released,
which is enough time to remove the probe from
contact with the tooth and record the number
at which the patient felt sensation.
7. The maximum stimulus reading is 64. Even if
there is no response at this level, there is still
the possibility that the tooth is vital. No sensa-
tion at this number may simply indicate that the
tooth is non-responsive at the time of the test,
possibly from trauma. However, since teeth
have been known to recover from traumatic in-
jury many days after presenting with a "non-vi-
tal" reading, follow-up testing is almost always
indicated after any initial readings. If this read-
6
Fig. 13
8. To confirm the diagnosis, a corresponding con-
Clinical Observations
• It is not possible to prepare a "table of nor-
• There are general anatomic trends in pulp vi-
ing persists over several visits, it is reasonable
to assume that the tooth is non-vital. However,
this conclusion should always be confirmed by
another accepted endodontic testing method.
trol tooth in the same arch should be tested.
Molars should be matched to molars, premo-
lars to premolars, cuspids to cuspids, and inci-
sors to incisors. If this is not possible because
teeth are absent, endodontically treated, or
have full coverage restorations, a similar tooth
in the opposite arch should be used.
• Testing Tip: Do not combine the "Over the
Lip' and "Finger Hold" methods for test-
ing. For each patient, whichever meth-
od is chosen should remain consistent
for the entire testing process on that pa-
tient. If the decision is made to change
methods mid-test, the entire test will
need to be repeated.
mal values" for pulp tester readings, because
THERE IS NO "NORMAL" IN PULP TESTING.
Rather, the clinician should perform sequen-
tial comparisons between the subject tooth
and the control tooth at consecutive office vis-
its, observing how the readings are changing
as time progresses. By utilizing electric pulp
testing, along with all available diagnostic in-
formation, it is often possible to predict where
the tooth's vitality is heading. This allows the
clinician to make informed decisions as to
whether endodontic therapy is appropriate, or
whether it is prudent to simply watch and wait.
tality readings. Posterior teeth generally re-
quire greater stimulus than anteriors, probably
because of the greater thickness of enamel
and dentin in posterior teeth. Enamel requires
a greater stimulus than dentin or cementum,
because of the higher percentage of non-con-
ductive mineral, and the lower percentage of
water. Similar cross-arch teeth will have sim-
ilar thresholds to stimulus.
