Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Villa-Chávez, Carlos E., DDS, MS
• Patiño-Marín, Nuria, DDS, MS, PhD
• Loyola-Rodríguez, Juan P., DDS, PhD
• Zavala-Alonso, Norma V., DDS, MS, PhD
• Martínez-Castañón, Gabriel A., MSc, PhD
• Medina-Solís, Carlo E., DDS, MS

Titel

Predictive Values of Thermal and Electrical Dental Pulp Tests: A Clinical Study

Ist Teil von

• Journal of endodontics, 2013-08, Vol.39 (8), p.965-969

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2013

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract Introduction For a diagnostic test to be useful, it is necessary to determine the probability that the test will provide the correct diagnosis. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the predictive value of diagnostics. The aim of the present study was to identify the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and reproducibility of thermal and electrical tests of pulp sensitivity. Methods The thermal tests studied were the 1, 1, 1, 2-tetrafluoroethane (cold) and hot gutta-percha (hot) tests. For the electrical test, the Analytic Technology Pulp Tester (Analytic Technology, Redmond, WA) was used. A total of 110 teeth were tested: 60 teeth with vital pulp and 50 teeth with necrotic pulps (disease prevalence of 45%). The ideal standard was established by direct pulp inspection. Results The sensitivities of the diagnostic tests were 0.88 for the cold test, 0.86 for the heat test, and 0.76 for the electrical test, and the specificity was 1.0 for all 3 tests. The negative predictive value was 0.90 for the cold test, 0.89 for the heat test, and 0.83 for the electrical test, and the positive predictive value was 1.0 for all 3 tests. The highest accuracy (0.94) and reproducibility (0.88) were observed for the cold test. Conclusions The cold test was the most accurate method for diagnostic testing.