No treatment should be provided without a diagnosis! Pulp, root canal and periapical conditions should only be diagnosed once all the relevant information has been gathered through the diagnostic process, which includes a thorough history, various clinical tests and radiographs. In particular, pulp sensibility tests are an essential part of the diagnostic process with the most common being cold, heat and electric tests. However, many practitioners do not utilise or interpret these tests appropriately, which can lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

Research by the presenter’s group has compared the various pulp tests to determine the most accurate, reliable and predictive tests. When using these tests, it is essential to understand what they are telling us. They are not “vitality” tests as they do not assess pulp blood flow – only laser Dopplerflowmetry (LDF) and pulse oximetry can test blood flow. This presentation will provide guidelines for the diagnosis of pulp, root canal and periapical conditions. It will include how to perform pulp tests under different circumstances in an effective and reliable manner, and how to interpret the results.