MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD-FLOW IN THE SKIN AND ORAL-MUCOSA OF THE RHESUS-MONKEY (MACACA-MULATTA) USING LASER-DOPPLER FLOWMETRY

1. It is generally assumed that oral blood flow is higher than that of skin, and invasive methods to measure blood flow support this view. 2 . However, it was not known whether this finding would be confirmed by laser Doppler flowmetry, which is a noninvasive method to measure blo od flow. 3. The purpose of this study was to compare blood flow in ora l and skin regions of the rhesus monkey using laser Doppler flowmetry. 4. The results demonstrated that blood flow was significantly higher in oral regions as compared to facial skin (P < 0.05). 5. This finding is most likely related to the more abundant capillary supply in oral mucosa as compared to skin.