ABSTRACT
Background: Dental radiologists, technicians, and other personnel understand the significance of radiation risks and, consequently, patient safety. It is equally important to know the understanding of patients visiting the hospital,which will assist in identifying gaps in patient education. Methods: Patients (n=300) visiting the outpatient department were given a pre-validated questionnaire form, which consisted of 17 questions distributed separately in order to assess awareness and attitude. The responses collected were statistically analysed. Results: Patients who are literate and have fairly good socioeconomic status are expected to be more aware and concerned about their attitude towards radiation safety and hazards, although fewer illiterate people are also expected to be equally aware and concerned. Conclusions: Despite many efforts by authorities, there seems to be a need to spread more awareness about radiation safety and hazards among the general population, irrespective of their background characteristics and educational status, and thus improve their attitude towards the same.
ABSTRACT
Dens invaginatus is a developmental malformation of teeth, probably resulting from an infolding of the papilla during tooth development. It predisposes the tooth to develop caries and periapical pathosis. Root canal therapy may present many problems because of the complex anatomy of the teeth. The purpose of this case report is to describe the endodontic treatment of an Oehlers type III dens invaginatus that perforated into the apical area. Calcium hydroxide powder mixed with normal saline, was used as an intracanal medicament. This eradicated the pathogenic microorganisms in the invagination and preserved the vitality of the tooth, allowing gutta-percha obturation in the invagination.