Kundabala M

In Vitro Sustained Release of Calcium Ions and pH Maintenance from Different Vehicles Containing Calcium Hydroxide

INTRODUCTION Calcium hydroxide is widely used as an intracanal medicament in endodontics. Its therapeutic effects depend on the dissociation of calcium hydroxide into calcium and hydroxyl ions, which, in turn, depends on the vehicle used. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the sustained release of calcium ions and the pH change of calcium hydroxide over a period of 30 days when formulated with propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol 6000, chitosan, and guar gum. METHODS Various formulations were prepared and placed inside the root canals of human teeth and were suspended in glass vials containing distilled water. At specific time intervals, the calcium ion concentration was analyzed using an ultraviolet spectrophotometer. pH changes of the medium were measured at various time intervals up to 30 days. RESULTS Results revealed that chitosan formulation showed the maximum sustained release of calcium ions compared with the other three formulations. All the formulations exhibited high alkaline pH upto 30 days. CONCLUSION From the results of this in vitro study, it can be concluded that chitosan can be used as a promising vehicle for for the sustained release of calcium ions from the calcium hydroxide in the root canal system.

Esthetic Management of Fused Carious Teeth: A Case Report

UNLABELLED A rare case of a carious supernumerary tooth fused to the labial surface of a maxillary right central incisor is reported. Root canal therapy on the maxillary right central incisor was performed owing to the pulpal communication between the supernumerary tooth and the maxillary right central incisor after removing the carious supernumerary tooth structure. The defect was then restored with anterior resin composite and the esthetics reestablished. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Clinical significance lies in identifying a rare case of fusion of supernumerary tooth to a permanent tooth and treating the anomaly in the most conservative way.

Current Strategies and Applications of Tissue Engineering in Dentistry − A Review Part 1

UNLABELLED A new direction in the field of vital pulp therapy is given by the introduction of tissue engineering as an emerging science. It aims to regenerate a functional tooth-tissue structure by the interplay of three basic key elements: stem cells, morphogens and scaffolds. It is a multidisciplinary approach that combines the principles of biology, medicine, and engineering to repair and/or regenerate a damaged tissue and/or organ. This two part article reviews and discusses the basic concept and strategies so far studied and researched for the engineering of basic dental tissues, to restore a functional tooth anatomy. This first part focuses on a detailed description of key elements used in tissue engineering and their applied clinical applications in dentistry. The second part will deal with the strategies that are being used and/or developed to regenerate the tooth tissues with the help of this scientific principle. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The field of tissue engineering has recently shown promising results and a good prospect in dentistry for the development of the most ideal restorations to replace the lost tooth structure with a functional replacement.

Biominerals in restorative dentistry

Restorative treatment strategies are being developed to repair and replace lost tooth structures and surrounding bone. The teeth under goes a constant cycle of demineralization and remineralization, but this natural remineralization process is inadequate to prevent progression of dental caries. Hence there is a need to supplement the tooth with a biomaterial which is bio inert or bioactive to remineralize, repair or regenerate the tissues of tooth. Calcium hydroxide is considered the gold standard material for repair of dentin, which is presently being replaced by materials with superior properties such as mineral trioxide aggregate. Biomaterials such as calcium phosphate cements are been advocated as bone substitute material because of properties such as biocompatibility, osteoconductivity and moldability. This review deals with the physiochemical properties of some of the biomineral based biomaterials which are currently used for repair, replacement or regeneration of hard tissues of teeth and bone. CLINICAL RELEVANCE TO INTERDISCIPLINARY DENTISTRY • Synthetic biomaterials containing biominerals are used in dentistry to repair and regenerate hard tissues of the teeth and bone. • Biomaterials containing biominerals are routinely used by specialist from various fields of dentistry such as restorative dentistry, periodontics and oral surgery. • Biomineral based biomaterials are used for direct and indirect pulp capping procedures, as an intracanal medicament in root canals, root perforation repair, periapical surgeries, repair of bony defects.

Attitude and perception of undergraduate dental students toward endodontics as a specialty in India

Introduction: Students′ attitude toward choosing a specialty subject for post graduate studies is of great importance for the education system. Aim: To evaluate the dental students′ perception and attitude toward learning, in rendering treatment, choosing endodontics as a specialty for post-graduation. Materials and Methods: A semi structured questionnaire study survey consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions was compiled and distributed among 400 undergraduate dental clinical students. The main domains appraised were preclinical and clinical training in endodontics, their opinion and interest in endodontics as post-graduate specialty. One sample chi-square test was done to see the association of subject response toward endodontic as a specialty response to each question. Results: The response rate was 74.5%, the results showed 72% of the students preferred preclinical training on extracted human teeth. 71% of the students believed that intense preclinical training will help them to manage patients confidently. Conclusion: The principal conclusion of the study revealed that majority of the students find endodontics an interesting subject to study and they would opt for endodontics as a postgraduate specialty subject.

Patient record and communication in interdisciplinary dentistry

Well-maintained records and good communication are essentials tools in modern dentistry. The right components of a dental record and appropriate communication skills by far provide a step forward in quality dental treatment. This article discusses the importance of both, good records and communication skills, in interdisciplinary dentistry and provides an overview of the components involved.

Management of a Complicated Coronal Third of Root Fracture by Interdisciplinary Approach: A Case Report

Endodontically treated teeth, if have to be function adequately, they have to be restored appropriately depending on the esthetic and functional needs. Moreover, medical history, caries susceptibility and periodontal conditions have to be evaluated, which have major role to play in the success of post endodontic restoration. If all these factors are being satisfactory, a comprehensive treatment can be planned. The present case report describes a management of fractured, endodontically treated tooth using a cost effective, conservative method with multidisciplinary approach

SEM Evaluation of the Resin Tag Depths Produced by Two Self Etching Adhesive Systems In Ground Enamel

Bonded restorations have gradually replaced the previous reliance on silver amalgam over the years for posterior restoration. The benefits offered by bonded restorative materials have only increased with time and research. But the multiple steps and technique sensitivity of these materials still offer a challenge to the clinician. The general trend towards the simplification of the clinical procedures involved in composite restorations has led to the development of self-etching adhesive systems which have reduced the number of steps required during bonding. The objective of the current study was to measure and compare the resin tag lengths produced by single bond universal adhesive system which is a one-step technique (3M ESPE Single Bond Adhesive-single bottle system) and a self-etching primer and bonding system which is a two-step technique Kuraray Clearfil SE self-etch adhesive system (Two bottle system) in ground enamel under Scanning Electron Microscopy. In the current study, Resin tag lengths produced by Clearfil SE Bond were significantly longer than the resin tag lengths produced by 3M ESPE Single Bond.

Visual Acuity of Dentists Under Simulated Clinical Conditions-A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The quality of work carried out by the dentists depends upon a variety of factors out of which knowledge, experience, training, visual acuity and manual dexterity play a distinctive role. Good eyesight for dental professionals is essential to improve their learning, clinical performance and also to provide the best dental care for patients. Aim & Objectives: The present study was carried out with an aim to test the visual acuity and its influence on age in dental professionals in a simulated clinical condition. Materials & Method: Study involved a total no. of 105 dental students and teachers between the age group of 20-40years. The visual acuity was tested using a Snellen chart mounted in a class II proximal cavity in a molar tooth and was recorded at a fixed and variable distance, comparing the visual acuity with age in subjects with and without refractive errors. Conclusion: Visual acuity evaluation of dentists using the Snellen chart showed that there was definitely a poor acuity of vision in all the experimental age groups above 20years of age with no statistical significant association between various age groups for the fixed as well as variable distance. Additionally, there was no association between visual acuity of various age groups and refractory errors

Evaluation of the effect of RC-Prep, Canalizer, Maleic acid and Citric acid on the microhardness of root canal dentine-An in vitro study

Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of RC-Prep, Canalizer, Maleic acid and Citric acid on the microhardness of root canal dentine Materials & Method: Twenty intact freshly extracted single rooted maxillary