Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a common medical condition with underreported prevalence and it is difficult to quantify. This study aimed to investigate whether assessing dental pulp vascular micro-dynamics by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) would be functional for therapeutic evaluation, in contrast to a verbal rating scale (VRS). A split-mouth single-blind randomized study was conducted on seven patients and a total of 36 teeth. Two DH therapeutic methods were employed: (i) fluoride gel; (ii) Nd:YAG radiation combined with fluoride gel. For each tooth, five consecutive LDF determinations of pulp blood flow were made (before and immediately after desensitizing treatment, then after 24 h, 7 days, and 1 month), and the VRS was applied each time. Spearman’s correlation was applied for concurrent validation. Two-way (treatment and patient) repeated measures ANOVA full factorial was applied, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc comparisons and Pillai’s trace multivariate statistic. While VRS scores had moderate reliability, LDF could objectively estimate treatment effects. Based on partial eta-squared values, treatment and patient characteristics were estimated to explain about 84% and 50% of the variability, respectively. In conclusion, LDF is an objective technique that can quantitatively assess DH evolution, and it is effective in reliably monitoring oral health therapeutic interventions.

The heat produced during tooth preparation could be a source of damage for dental pulp, and many variables are involved in this process. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate whether the different degrees of wear of the diamond burs significantly influenced the temperature changes in the pulp chamber during tangential veneer preparation. The sample comprised 30 intact permanent monoradicular teeth, randomly assigned to three study groups of 10 teeth each, of which 5 had the pulp tissue preserved and 5 had thermoconductive paste in the pulp chamber. For prosthetic preparation, we used new burs in the first group, burs at their fifth use in the second group, and burs at their eighth use for the third group. The pulp chamber temperature was evaluated at the start, after one minute, and after three minutes of preparation, using a k-type thermocouple. The results of the three-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc comparisons showed a highly significant effect of the time of measurement, while the pulp condition and the degree of wear of the burs had no effect. In conclusion, the different degrees of wear of conventional diamond burs do not produce statistically significant different changes in the pulp chamber temperature.

In clinical practice, after dental extraction, the main objective is the healing of the post-extraction wound, without complications and in the shortest time possible. According to specialized studies, the defense and regeneration mechanisms of the body are in direct correlation with the plasmatic level of some vitamins, mainly vitamin C, which is directly involved in the repair of damaged tissues. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the healing of the post-extraction wound in the conditions of oral administration of vitamin C, according to a predetermined administration protocol, as compared to the healing process under conventional conditions. Five volunteers were included in the study, who presented two teeth with indication of extraction, one of the extractions being performed under the conditions of administration of vitamin C. The evolution of the healing of the post-extraction wounds was assessed comparatively. The examination was done with the help of photographic examination by directly measuring the vestibulo-oral dimensions of the wounds using the digital micrometer and by recording the blood microcirculation at the level of the alveolar wound using the laser Doppler flowmetry. The level of vitamin C in the tissues was also determined, using the lingual test for vitamin C, a simple and non-invasive method that uses the reagent 2.6 dichlorophenol-indophenol. The results of the preliminary study show that the evolution and healing of the post-extraction wound is accelerated under the conditions of vitamin C administration, with regard to the administration protocol used in the study and compared to the healing situation under classical conditions. It can be stated that the human body consumes higher amounts of ascorbic acid in the case of dental extractions therefore the administration of vitamin C is a necessity if a faster healing of their post-extraction wounds is desired.