A laser Doppler study of gingival blood flow variations following periosteal stimulation

Objectives: Evaluation of the modifications occurring in human gingival blood flow following periosteal stimulation. Material and methods: Laser Doppler was used to measure the gingival blood flow (GBF). The reproducibility of the technique was validated by comparing measures made at intervals of 1 week. Sensitivity was verified by recording GBF before and after injection of an anesthesic containing a vasoconstrictor. Finally, 12 patients were subjected to GBF measurements before and 8 days after periosteal stimulation prior to gingival grafting. Results: The laser Doppler accurately measured GBF Measurements made at day 0 and day 7 were not statistically different (p=0.60). After injection of an anesthesic solution containing vasoconstrictor, the laser Doppler recorded a sharp decrease of the GBF (p=0.04). The patient that underwent periosteal stimulation showed statistically significant increases (p=0.02) in GBF before and 1 week post-stimulation. Conclusion: Periosteal stimulation induces significant increases in the GBF after 1 week.