Age and sex-related differences of pulp chamber size in mandibular second molars.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the size of the pulp chamber in mandibular second molars with the gender and age by means of panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: In this study, 200 panoramic radiographs of patients were randomly selected from the archives of the Faculty of Dentistry of Ondokuz Mayis University. The radiographs of the patients were measured under a stereomicroscope and categorized according to the gender and age. Results: Statistically differences were found in the mean sizes of pulp chamber between the groups under and above the age of 30 years (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in terms of “the distance between the tip of the lingual cusp to the roof of the pulp chamber”, “the distance between the tip of the lingual cusp to the floor of the pulp chamber” and “the distance from the tip of the lingual cusp to the closest point of the furcation” between the male and female genders (P < 0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that the pulp chamber can be exposed easily in female patients, because it is less shallow than males. However, the size of pulp chamber reduces after the age of 30 years in both the genders.

The effect of irrigation solutions on the apical sealing ability in different root canal sealers

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of three root canal irrigation solutions on the apical sealing ability of three root canal obturation materials: gutta-percha/AH plus or MM-seal and Resilon/Epiphany SE. A total of 100 teeth with single straight root canals were randomly divided into three equal groups of 30 samples each, with the other 10 teeth (5 positive and 5 negative) used as controls. Each irrigation group was divided into three groups according to the use of three different root canal obturation materials (n = 10): Gutta-percha with AH plus or MM-seal, Resilon with Epiphany SE. The crowns were removed at the cementoenamel junction with a diamond disc under water coolant. The root canals were prepared using step-back technique and irrigation with either sodium hypochlorite (2.5 percent), chlorhexidine (2 percent), or MTAD solutions. The roots were obturated with lateral condensation technique using one of the obturation materials. The root surfaces was coated with two layer nail varnish (except apex), placed in 2 percent methylene blue dye solution, and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 5 minutes. Irrigation solutions affected the apical sealing ability of all the sealers. The chlorhexidine irrigation solution exhibited higher apical leakage values than did MTAD and NaOCl in all canal sealers, although the MTAD irrigation solution groups showed the least leakage values. The apical sealing ability of AH plus, Epiphany SE and MM-seal root canal sealers decreased when the chlorhexidine was used as an irrigation solution.

The antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy of tetracycline-integrated gutta-percha.

The purpose of this study was in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy of commercially available gutta-percha containing tetracycline on some potential endodontic pathogens. The test microorganisms were Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Porphyromonas endodontalis, and Candida albicans . Tetracycline-integrated gutta-percha (TGP) cones, tetracycline disc, and conventional gutta-percha cones of the same size were placed on the inoculated plates. The plates were incubated at 37 degrees C aerobically or anaerobically. Growth inhibition zones on each plate were inspected at 24, 48, and 72 h. Tetracycline disc and TGP cones inhibited all the tested bacterial strains, however the greatest antimicrobial effect was seen on S. aureus. Tetracycline disc and TGP seemed less effective on E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa. However, all tested treatments were unable to affect C. albicans . Based on the results of this study, it seems that TGP offers an antimicrobial advantage over conventional gutta-percha.