Lecture 10: Use & Interpretation of EPT & Apex locator Flashcards
T/F: The EPT (Electric Pulp Tester) is NOT a primary or routine clinical testing instrument
True
The EPT is an ____ to thermal pulp sensitivity testing (if we don’t get a definitive result from the thermal testing)
ADJUNCT
T/F: If we get a good result with thermal testing, don’t bother with EPT
True
The EPT is an electrical device designed to reveal a response of ______ to the passage of a current
nerve fibers in the pulp
What is the scale EPT measures on?
0-80
A response by the pulp to the electric currents only denotes that ______ are present in the pulp and capable of responding at that time; NOTHING MORE
some functioning nerve fibers
What should be done prior to using EPT?
- dry the teeth and isolate with cotton rolls
- place a small dab of tooth paste (conductor) on facial of each tooth to be tested
- develop baseline
The tooth paste dabbed on the teeth prior to use of EPT serves as an:
conductor
What is extremely important to do prior to EPT results?
develop baseline
List some false positives with EPT: (4)
- You touched the gingiva
- You failed to isolate and dry the area
- Tooth paste slopped onto an adjacent tooth
- Patient is not giving correct response for various reasons or is confused
- You failed to achieve good contact at the tip
- Patient failed to get good contact with their finger
- The tooth has extreme calcification and DNR
- The patient has high pain threshold and DNR
- Battery on EPT machine is low or dead
- Machine is broken
T/F: All tissues following trauma have some degree of loss of normal response for a certain time period
True
In undeveloped (immature) pulp, tissue and teeth will often show:
no response yet be fully vital but lack innervation
When reading apex locator, where are we located if you get “intermittent BEEP and NO red lines”
somewhere within the canal SHORT of the PDL
When reading the apex locator if we are barely patent in the PDL this will display as:
1 red line + solid tone
What indicates a “false negative”
failure to have good contact on tip of tooth