Salgar Avinash Ramchandra, Singh Shishir H, Podar Rajesh S, Kulkarni Gaurav P, Babel Shashank N
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, TPCT's Terna Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
J Conserv Dent. 2017 Jan-Feb;20(1):46-49. doi: 10.4103/0972-0707.209067.
Pulp sensitivity testing, even with its limitations and shortcomings, has been and still remains a very helpful aid in endodontic diagnosis. Pulp sensitivity tests extrapolate pulpal health from the sensory response. The aim of the present study was to identify the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (NPVs) of thermal and electrical tests of pulp sensitivity.
Pulp tests studied were two cold and heat tests respectively and electrical test. A total of 330 teeth were tested: 198 teeth with vital pulp and 132 teeth with necrotic pulps (disease prevalence of 40%). The ideal standard was established by observing bleeding within the pulp chamber.
Sensitivity values of the diagnostic tests were 0.89 and 0.94 for cold test, 0.84 and 0.87 for the heat tests, and 0.75 for electrical pulp test and the specificity values of the diagnostic tests were 0.91 and 0.93 for the cold tests, 0.86 and 0.84 for the heat tests, and 0.90 for electrical pulp test. The NPVs were 0.91 and 0.96 for the cold tests, 0.89 and 0.91 for the heat tests, and 0.84 for electrical pulp test. The positive predictive values were 0.89 and 0.90 for the cold tests, 0.80 and 0.79 for the heat tests and 0.88 for electrical pulp test. The highest accuracy (0.9393) was observed with cold test (icy spray).
The cold test done with icy spray was the most accurate method for sensitivity testing.
牙髓敏感性测试，尽管有其局限性和缺点，但一直是并且仍然是牙髓病诊断中非常有用的辅助手段。牙髓敏感性测试通过感觉反应推断牙髓健康状况。本研究的目的是确定牙髓敏感性热测试和电测试的敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值。
所研究的牙髓测试分别为两种冷测试、热测试和电测试。总共测试了330颗牙齿：198颗牙髓活力正常的牙齿和132颗牙髓坏死的牙齿（疾病患病率为40%）。通过观察髓腔内出血确定理想的标准。
诊断测试的敏感性值，冷测试为0.89和0.94，热测试为0.84和0.87，牙髓电测试为0.75；诊断测试的特异性值，冷测试为0.91和0.93，热测试为0.86和0.84，牙髓电测试为0.90。冷测试的阴性预测值为0.91和0.96，热测试为0.89和0.91，牙髓电测试为0.84。冷测试的阳性预测值为0.89和0.90，热测试为0.80和0.79，牙髓电测试为0.88。冷测试（冰喷雾）的准确性最高（0.9393）。
冰喷雾冷测试是最准确的敏感性测试方法。
