Modern aspects of the use of hardware methods for diagnosing pulp vitality (Part 1. Traditional methods)

INTRODUCTION. Diagnosis of pulp diseases remains a pressing issue in dentistry, which is determined by their high prevalence and, in some cases, latent course.

AIM. To study new technologies developed for hardware testing of pulp vitality based on modern literature data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. A systematic search was performed in the electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, eLibrary, Google Patents. The search depth was 6 years – from 2019 to 2024.

RESULTS. The search in the electronic library databases initially yielded 793 results. After screening titles and abstracts and removing duplicates, 368 articles were identified, assessed by reading their full text, and analysis of whether the publication criteria were met; 65 articles were included in the systematic review. Based on the results preliminary screening and application of the eligibility criteria, 15 publications were included in the qualitative analysis and 7 publications in the quantitative analysis, 43 publications were used to write the introduction text and in the discussion of the study results. Based on the patent search, 4 patents were included in the analysis. Most of the well-conducted and documented studies were devoted to the pulse oximetry method.

CONCLUSIONS. An analysis of modern literature sources showed that the most common methods for assessing pulp vitality are laser Doppler flowmetry and pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry is the most accurate diagnostic tool. Alternative diagnostic methods are increasingly being explored for their potential to assess pulp vitality. The most frequently mentioned methods in scientific publications for 2019–2024 are: ultrasound Doppler flowmetry, transillumination, magnetic resonance imaging, speckle imaging, tooth temperature measurements, electroodontometry and plethysmography. However, to date, none of the alternative methods for diagnosing pulp vitality have been integrated into clinical practice, indicating an ongoing challenge in creating a reliable approach to assessing pulp vitality.

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