The effects of type of tooth and the placement site of electrode on the electrical pulp testing of the anterior teeth

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of type ofthe tooth and the placement site of electrode on electrical pulptesting of the anterior teeth. Twenty persons were participatedin this study. The six maxillary and mandibular anteriorteeth were checked to evaluate the response threshold to electricalpulp testing; each tooth was examined at four placementsites on its labial surface, which are the incisal edge, incisalthird, middle third and the cervical third.The results showed that the response threshold of themandibular anterior teeth was lower than that of the maxillaryanteriors. The canines may respond to the electrical stimulusin a highest threshold than the lateral incisors and the centralincisors which had the lowest response threshold. Also, thisstudy showed that the best placement site of electrode was inthe incisal edge of the tooth and the pulp tester reading wasincreased as the electrode moved toward the cervical regionof the tooth.