Barry Feiglin

Tooth ankylosis. Clinical, radiographic and histological assessments.

Ankylosis is a serious condition for the affected teeth as such teeth form part of the remodelling process of the alveolar bone and are therefore progressively resorbed. There are, however, very few clinical studies on tooth ankylosis and the reason for this may be due to the difficulties that are encountered in the diagnosis of minor areas of ankylosis. In the present study, the radiographs, percussion sound and mobility of experimentally extracted and replanted monkey incisors were compared with a morphometric histological study of ankylosis. Ankylotic areas were evident radiographically when the ankylosis was located on the proximal surfaces of the root, but were not evident when the ankylosis occurred on the lingual and labial surfaces. The percussion sound was dull and the mobility normal in all non-ankylotic teeth as well as in those teeth which histologically demonstrated ankylosis on less than 10% of the root surface. When the ankylosis affected 10-20% of the root surface, 2 out of 4 teeth changed their percussion sound from dull to high and these teeth no longer possessed normal mobility. When more than 20% of the root surface was affected with ankylosis, the percussion sound was characteristically high in all teeth and no mobility was present.

A 6-year recall study of clinically chemically bleached teeth

Chemical bleaching of discolored teeth gives a 45% rate of success after 6 years. While chemical bleaching will usually give adequate color for sufficient time for the gingival margin to stabilize in a young tooth, chemical bleaching cannot be recommended as a permanent treatment in an adult tooth.

Effect of some endodontic sealers on cell migration in experimental granulomas

CRCS or calciobiotic root canal sealer (a calcium hydroxide-based sealer), Proco-sol and Tubliseal (both zinc oxide eugenol-based sealers), and Diaket-A (a polyvinyl-based sealer) were assessed for their relative cytotoxicities by their different cell migration effects by means of glass coverslip granulomas. Cytotoxicity was assessed by means of the influx of mononuclear cells or macrophages and their transformation into multinucleate giant cells. CRCS was shown to be the best sealer, followed by Proco-sol and Tubliseal. Diaket-A was the most cytotoxic of the sealers tested.

Arteriovenous shunts demonstrated in the apical circulation of rat incisor teeth by the use of radio-labeled microspheres

The distribution of systemically introduced 85Sr-labeled tracer microspheres to unexposed and previously exposed rat lower incisor tooth pulps was investigated. Fewer tracer microspheres entered the microcirculation of pulps that had been previously exposed as compared to control unexposed pulps. The presence of large numbers of dilated blood vessels in the apical tissues of teeth with exposed pulps was observed, and it is postulated that these vessels may be operating as arteriovenous anastomoses so that the pulpal microcirculation of teeth with inflamed pulps is bypassed by the tracer microspheres. The possible clinical significance of these findings is discussed.