What is EDI in dentistry? How is EDI carried out?

The dental branch of medicine is developing quite actively, constantly emerging the latest technology for the treatment and diagnosis of certain pathologies. Recently, EDI in the field of dentistry has gained increasing popularity. This technique allows you to accurately diagnose and prescribe effective treatment. Let's figure out what the electrodontiagnosis (EOD) is, in what cases is its use shown and whether there are contraindications to the procedure.

The essence of the procedure

This technique has been known in dentistry for more than 60 years, but recently its popularity has increased. The method is based on measuring the level of resistance of the tissues of the oral cavity to electric current. The higher the indices, the deeper the inflammatory process penetrated.

In this method, the property of nervous tissue is excited by the action of an electric current. During the procedure, threshold excitation of the tooth receptors is determined. The current at the time of passage through the pulp does not damage it, since it is strictly dosed. Therefore, for carrying out it is necessary to have the necessary knowledge.

Normally, we can talk about such indicators:

• For teeth with formed roots, the electrical excitability is from 2 to 6 μA.
• For milk teeth, the indices lie within the same limits.
• At the time of eruption of permanent teeth and the formation of their roots, electrical excitability is either greatly reduced or nonexistent, can be 200-150 μA. When the root is fully formed, the index is around 2-6 μA.

The values of EDI in dentistry, in comparison with the norm, allow us to judge the development of the pathological process. For example, with the development of caries electroexcitability drops to 20-25 μA, when the pulp is affected, then the indices are within 7-60 μA. If the reaction is 61-100 μA, then we can say that there is a loss of coronal pulp, and the inflammatory process passes to the root part of the tooth.

For more accurate results, the doctor usually first directs the patient to X-ray diagnostics to know about the area with pathological changes. But this study does not give a complete picture of what is happening, so much more effective will be electrodontodiagnostics.

Rules for the application of EDI

Since the procedure involves the use of electric current, there are several rules for its use:

1. Only a doctor directs a referral to EDI and the whole procedure is carried out under his strict supervision and control.
2. The patient should strictly follow all the recommendations and requirements of the doctor. Before the first procedure must be carefully instructed.
3. EDI in dentistry is not recommended to be performed immediately after a meal or on an empty stomach. The optimal time is 40-60 minutes after eating.
4. When the procedure is performed, you can not get up, move and talk. Any movement can lead to an error in the results.
5. To prevent electric shock, do not touch the unit, try to adjust the dose yourself.
6. If during the procedure you feel severe pain, burning, dizziness, then it is necessary to inform the nurse or doctor.
7. After the procedure is completed, the patient needs rest for 40 minutes.

The purpose of carrying out electroodontodiagnostics

The doctor can refer to EDI, with the following objectives:

• Carry out differential diagnostics.
• Determine the localization and severity of the pathological process.
• Choose a therapy and monitor its effectiveness throughout the treatment.

Indications EDI in stomatology

The procedure is indicated if there are or suspected of the following pathologies:

• Caries of any localization and degree of development.
• Periodontitis.
• Pulpitis of varying degrees.
• Periodontitis.
• Sinusitis.
• Neuritis of the trigeminal or facial nerve.
• Osteomyelitis.
• Actinomycosis.
• Neoplasm on the jaws.
• Injury of teeth or jaws.
• Radiation damage.
• Orthodontic therapy.
• Radicular cyst.

It can be noted that almost all pathologies of the dental system require the use of EDI in dentistry for accurate diagnosis and the appointment of effective treatment.

Contraindications for EDI

Any research and elektroodontodiagnostics is not an exception, have their contraindications to use. They can be divided into relative and absolute.

The first category includes:

• Nerve agitation of the patient, which can lead to inaccurate results.
• The presence of factors that lead to leakage of current in the oral cavity. This is possible with pins, crowns, amalgams, perforation of the canal wall.
• If there is an obstruction to the passage of current, for example, an insert or plastic crown on the teeth.
• Incorrectly configured or defective apparatus for carrying out the procedure.
• The thickness of the contact layer is small.
• The procedure is not performed correctly.

Absolute contraindications include:

• The presence of a pacemaker in the patient.
• Mental disorders.
• Children under 5 years.
• It is impossible to achieve complete dryness of the tooth.
• The patient does not tolerate electric current.

Pros and cons of the technique

EDI (electroodontodiagnosis of the tooth) has its advantages:

• Ease of use.
• Availability of the method.
• Excellent information.
• The doctor has the opportunity to conduct a procedure directly in his office.

But there are also disadvantages:

• It is important to carry out the procedure correctly. Take into account the individual pain threshold in patients.
• The procedure should be conducted taking into account age.
• It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the device. Take into account the degree of formation of roots.
• The methodology requires both material and time costs.

EDP apparatus

Dentistry in its practice uses both domestic equipment, and foreign. Among the latest models, the following brands are most popular:

• Gentle Plus.
• Digitest.
• Vitapulp.
• Pulptester.

There are popular among Russian models:

• EOM-3.
• EOM-1.
• IVN-01.
• OD-2.

The first of the presented Russian models is not so often used, because an assistant will be needed to perform the procedure, and not all doctors have their own nurse.

Preparing the device for the procedure

Before the procedure begins, the device must be prepared for operation. This stage includes the following manipulations:

1. First, the active and passive electrode are connected to the corresponding keys.
2. Carry out the grounding.
3. Connect the machine to the network.
4. Press the "On" button, when the device is working, the warning light will light up.

After that, you can assume that the device is ready for use.

Preparing the patient for the procedure

After preparation of the device it is necessary to do the patient:

1. To seat him comfortably in a chair.
2. Explain what he can feel during the procedure.
3. For insulation on the floor, it is essential to put a rubberized mat.
4. Prepare a sick tooth for examination.

Preparation of the tooth is as follows:

• Dry the tooth using a cotton swab. For these purposes, alcohol or ether can not be used.
• If there are deposits on the teeth, they should be removed.
• In the presence of tooth decay in the teeth, you must remove the soft dentin and dry the cavity.
• If there is a seal made of amalgam, then it must be removed, since this material is a good current conductor.
• Arrange the electrodes in the required place.
• Passive electrode is fixed on the back of the hand and fixed.
• The active electrode is fixed at sensitive points.

EDI in dentistry - procedure procedure

After the apparatus and the patient are ready for EDI, begin the procedure. The current flows, the force gradually increases until the patient feels pain, tingling or burning. A nurse or doctor records the threshold current and switches off the device. Quite informative is EDI in dentistry. Indicators allow you to accurately determine the pathology.

To check the reliability of the results, a healthy tooth is also checked.

It is necessary to take into account during the procedure that there should be a closed circuit between the device, the patient and the doctor, otherwise it is possible to obtain not quite reliable results. The specialist should not wear gloves during the procedure.

To obtain reliable results, the measurements are made several times and the average value is taken. If the patient's reaction changes insignificantly, the results are reliable, but for large deviations, it is possible to suspect a false-positive or false-negative reaction.

Reasons for getting wrong results

When EDI is used in dentistry, indicators may not always turn out to be correct. False positive reactions are possible if:

• There is a contact of the electrode with a metal part, for example, a bridge or a seal.
• If the patient is not explained in detail what to expect and how to act, then he can raise his hand prematurely.
• Poorly treated pulp necrosis.
• No good isolation from saliva.

In some cases it is possible to obtain false-negative results:

• The patient before the procedure used alcoholic beverages, soothing analgesics.
• During preparation, the nurse poorly adjusted the contact of the electrode with the enamel of the tooth.
• The patient recently suffered a tooth trauma.
• The appliance is not plugged in or the batteries are dead.
• The tooth erupted recently, and the tip did not quite form.
• Incomplete necrosis of the pulp.
• The electrical circuit breaks down because the doctor works in rubber gloves.

EDI for certain diseases

EDI in dentistry is quite informative for various dental pathologies. According to the received values, the doctor makes an accurate diagnosis and appoints the appropriate treatment. Consider the indicators for some diseases:

1. The values of electrical excitability in caries vary, depending on the degree of its development:

• If the pathology is only beginning its development, then the readings are within the limits of the norm and are from 2 to 6 μA.
• Deep caries gives values from 10 to 12 μA, if the value reaches 20, then it means that the inflammatory process is approaching the pulp.

2. EDI in pulpitis gives the following results:

• The acute and focal form gives values of 20-25 μA, in this case the inflammation did not affect the root part of the tooth.
• With diffuse and acute pulpitis, the indices range from 20-50 μA.
• Chronic fibrous pulpitis is 20-40 microA.
• Gangrenous form is characterized by indicators from 60 to 100 μA.

It should be taken into account, if the tooth is covered with a metal or metal-ceramic crown, then it will not be possible to determine the excitability.

3. With periodontitis, the indications, as a rule, go over 100 and can reach 150, and in some cases 300 μA.

4. Constant teeth during the formation period show from 50 to 200 μA.

5. Electroexcitability on the milk teeth in the period of resorption of the roots reaches 200.

A competent specialist should take into account the pain threshold, which each person has his own. That is why one should not rely on the average statistical values for a particular pathology. In order to obtain a reliable result, it is necessary to measure the electrical excitability of intact teeth, neighboring and antagonist teeth. It is necessary that the teeth should be in the same conditions, that is, the degree of formation of the roots, the location on the jaw, and this in reality is almost impossible to achieve.

Reviews about the procedure

Most patients, having only heard that the method is based on the use of electric current, immediately begin to panic and are afraid to go to the procedure. But EDI in dentistry (reviews of many patients confirm this) does not pose a danger to the body, and during the carrying out there is no severe pain, but only a slight tingle and tremors, which must be immediately reacted. But the technique allows you to accurately determine the pathology, the degree of its development, in order to choose the tactics of therapy.

Despite the fact that in modern clinics the competition for electrodontodiagnostics is diagnosed with light or with the help of laser equipment, dentistry does not do without this method. EDI tooth - an informative procedure and for the wallet of patients is not so problematic.

In conclusion, it can be noted that it does not matter at all how the physician diagnoses pathology, the main thing is that it is timely and accurate. It is from the correct diagnosis that the effectiveness of treatment depends.