Ultrasonic measurement of remaining dentin thickness using a pencil-type transducer.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of a pencil-type transducer connected to a pulser-receiver to measure remaining dentin thickness (RDT).
Methods: A total of 24 freshly extracted bovine incisors were used to prepare dentin disks with certain thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm). The thicknesses of the specimens were measured with an ultrasonic technique using a pencil-type transducer, and the data obtained were compared with the direct measurement obtained using a micrometer. The Bland-Altman comparison method and paired t-test were performed at a 0.05 significance level.
Results: The agreement between different measurement methods was analyzed to evaluate the inter-methodology variation. The Bland-Altman comparison method revealed a mean difference of 0.0098 ± 0.724 mm between the ultrasonic technique and the direct measurement, with the 95% Bland-Altman limits of agreement ranging from 0.1322 to 0.1517 mm.
Clinical Significance: Ultrasonic measurement using the pencil-type transducer may be a promising method to evaluate remaining dentin thickness.
Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest. This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, 19K10158 and 19K10159, from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. This project was also supported in part by the Sato Fund and by a grant from the Dental Research Center of the Nihon University School of Dentistry, Japan.
(Copyright©American Journal of Dentistry.)