Pulp oxygen saturation measurement as a diagnostic tool for assessing pulp status in primary teeth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the mean oxygen saturation values (SpO) in primary teeth using pulse oximetry.

Materials And Methods: This comprehensive literature search on pulse oximeter used for primary teeth in determining pulp vitality using MeSH terms in four electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Ovid, from January 1990 to January 2022. Studies reported the sample size and the mean SpO values (with standard deviations) for each tooth group were included. The quality assessment of all the included studies was done using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analysis included studies reporting means and standard deviations of SpO values. The I statistics were used to determine the degree of heterogeneity among the studies.

Results: A total of 90 studies were identified, of which five met the eligibility criteria that were qualified for the systematic review, and among them, three were included in the meta-analysis. All five included studies were of low quality due to the high risk of bias related to the patient selection, index test, and uncertainties about outcome valuation. In the meta-analysis, the mean fixed-effect measure of oxygen saturation in the pulp of primary teeth was 88.45% (confidence interval: 83.97%-92.93%).

Conclusion: Though most of the available studies were of poor quality, the SpO in the healthy pulp can be established (minimum saturation, 83.48%) in primary teeth. Reference values established might help clinicians to assess changes in pulp status.