1986 Volume 32 Issue 5 Pages 743-761
I. Analysis of the responses of clinically healthy dental pulps to electrostimulation revealed a distinct tendency as described below. It was confirmed by examination of the electrical characteristics of the commonly used electric pulp test that the test reading was proportional to the output voltage. On the basis of this finding, investigation were made into the false diagnosis rate for vital pulps, the difference in threshold between the test tooth and the contralateral homonymous tooth, the mean threshold in different groups of teeth and the presence or absence of a significant difference in threshold among groups, sex-dependent difference in threshold, age-dependent difference in threshold, relationship between age and threshold, and correlationship of threshold among different tests.
A certain fixed tendency was detected in the above examinations.
II. Pain threshold on the electric pulp test for clinically healthy dental pulps was compared with that for dental pulps affected by a disease or within reach of the pain, such as pain with cold or warm stimulation of the tooth, alveolar pyorrhoea, acute and chronic pulpitis, glossodynia, trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain with unknown etiology.
III. The mean chronaxy value for clinically healthy pulps, determined with the electrical stimulator, was O.226±O.095. In comparison of chronaxy between dental pulps involved in various painful diseases and clinically healthy dental pulp, the values for the former were widely scattered above and below the mean value puls there was a standard deviation for the latter.
