Vitality test

Question 1

Why?

Answer 1

help determine whether a tooth is vital (alive) or non-vital (dead)

Question 2

How?

Answer 2

Cold stimulus with ethyl chloride
Hot stimulus with warmed gutta percha
Electrical test with electric pulp tester

Question 3

Cold and hot stimulus

Answer 3

used to diagnose toothache where the symptoms include pain

Question 4

Electrical test

Answer 4

determine the degree of vitality

• normal response = healthy pulp
• increased response = early pulpits present
• reduced response = pulp is dying, or tooth heavily lined deep restoration so the voltage cannot be adequately transmitted to the pulp
• no response = pulp tissue is dead

Question 5

Patients will vary

Answer 5

in their response to electric pulp testers, so advisable to test several healthy teeth to establish their normal response

Question 6

Electric pulp testers

Answer 6

are either battery or mains operated, send increasing voltage into tooth until pt is aware of tingling sensation. This is recorded numerically on a scale so degree of vitality can be determined

Question 7

Ethyl chloride

Answer 7

liquid that vaporises quickly at room temp leaving ice crystals which provide cold stimulus when touched, the cold sensation is detected particularly well by hypersensitive tooth

Question 8

Gutta Percha

Answer 8

natural rubber like product with several uses, as a compound of greenstick, can be warmed in a flame and placed on tooth to detect hypersensitivity. the teeth should be dried and thin smear of vaseline placed before applying to avoid substance sticking to tooth and causing pain.