Frequency of postoperative sensitivity in posterior class I composite restorations

The growing demand for esthetic restorations has driven the dentists to provide composite resin restorations even in the posterior class I situations. In these load bearing locations of the teeth, composite resins are subjected to a very thorough biodynamic testing which revealed some of their shortcomings. Persistent postoperative sensitivity has been recognized to be a reason for failure of these restorations. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of postoperative sensitivity in posterior class I composite restorations placed in cavities less than or equal to a 3 mm depth. A total of 292 cavities were restored without any protective liners or base by one of the authors in an academic environment which were followed up at 48 hours for an objective cold test. The frequency of postoperative sensitivity was around 13% and no statistically significant relationship was found between patient age and tooth type [p value > 0.000]. While the cavity depths were limited the buccolingual widths remained unchecked and in some cases resulted in considerable occlusal table correction. This may be the reason for a greater postoperative sensitivity in the present study

Quality of Clinical Feedback: Perceptions of Final Year BDS Students Versus their Supervisors

Clinical supervision can be defined as an activity in the clinical setting as a source of learning and assessment and problem solving for the student at an undergraduate or post graduate level. This study aimed to see if various aspects of clinical feedback received by the students are perceived as the same by both students and supervising faculty. Cross-Sectional Study. Islamic International Dental College, Islamabad, from January to June 2013. An 18 item questionnaire was administered to former final year students and faculty which supervised them. The responses from each group were analysed and compared for differences in perception to the same measure of quality of clinical supervision and feedback. Items which involved communication were rated quite differently by the student and supervisor. Conflicting feedback was accepted by both, but supervisors thought that it was dealt with while students did not think so. Significance was set at a p value of 0.05 Exclusive availability of the supervisor and ability to see the task from the student's point of view by listening and taking time is very important. Supervisors cannot judge the quality of feedback they provide. They must receive feedback about the feedback they give

Accuracy of self-evaluation of crown preparations by second-year pre-clinical students

Acquisition of accurate tooth preparation skills is one of the basic learning outcomes in the Operative Dentistry Curriculum. Ability to evaluate oneself accurately is also one of the learning objectives of a competency based education. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of self evaluation of students of second year BDS compared to their instructor when asked to assess their crown preparations for the first time. Sixty students of second year BDS of the Islamic International Dental College were asked to evaluate their anterior porcelain crown preparations according to a ten-point checklist. Each point was measured out of ten. On average the students overrated themselves compared to their senior teacher by 2.7 marks

Pre-clinical operative dentistry: students viewpoints

The aim of the study was to evaluate the pre-clinical operative dentistry course from a student's viewpoint in order to monitor the academic environment and give recommendations for improvement. A questionnaire was completed by second year dental students on the last lecture day of the year. The questionnaire consisted of questions evaluating different aspects of the course. 46 out of 50 students completed the questionnaire. The course was considered by almost all to be of benefit. Opinion was divided regarding formal assessment in the final professional examination. Quality of teaching was reported to be good although teaching sessions were perceived to be disorganized and prone to repetition. Exercises on plaster models were widely condemned. Improvements in pre-clinical teaching can be brought about by a more structured course, adding more topics and assigning more faculty to supervise the exercises

Treatment of acute apical abscess by single visit endodontics - 2 case reports

The purpose to publish these case reports is to show the effectiveness of single visit endodontics in teeth with acute apical abscess. Infected non-vital teeth in two patients were treated with single visit RCT along with incision and drainage of the abscess in the same appointment. Follow up of both the patients showed relief of symptoms to remarkable extent in the evening of treatment day. Radiographs showed significant periapical bone healing after 3 months in both patients

Mineral trioxide aggregate as a root end filling material: a review of the literature

Mineral trioxide aggregate is a relatively new material developed in the 1990s. It's constituents are similar to Portland cement namely, tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, tetracalcium aluminoferrite and calcium sulfate and bismuth oxide. It shows properties consistent with those required for root-end filling; the application it was originally developed for. It has been compared with other root-end filling materials such as amalgam, dentin-bonded composite, Super EBA, IRM and Portland cement and it's properties for root-end filling were found to be superior. It is now frequently used as a gold standard with which to compare the properties of other newly developed root-end filling material. [1,2] The following is a review of the literature regarding the properties of MTA as a root-end filling material

Level of pain experience of patients during endodontic treatment procedures in the Islamic international dental college

To report the pain experienced by the patient during the endodontic procedure and correlate this-with age and gender of the patient, tooth type, arch, pulpal diagnosis and stage of endodontic procedure. Eighty five patients with ages ranging between 8- 60 years who reported to the Islamic International Dental College for endodontic treatment were consecutively selected. A 10-point visual analogue scale [VAS] was used to rate the level of pain suffered during the treatment session. The mean pain score was 1.75 for all patients with a mean of 1.33 for men and a mean of 2.38 for women. 50.5% of patients reported no pain; severe pain occurred in only 6[7.1%] of patients. No significant correlation was found for age but the pain experience of patients aged 50 and above was less. Obturation procedures were the least painful with access cavity preparations resulting in the greatest number of patients experiencing severe pain. Pain experienced during endodontic procedures is greater during access cavity preparation [51.7%] and canal preparation [64%]. Sever pain was more reported for female patients, posterior teeth and teeth with pulpitis