Effects of handpiece speed on the performance of undergraduate dental students in preclinical training

Low-speed high-torque handpieces are popular for the pre-clinical training of dental students. However, in clinical practice, high-speed air turbine handpieces are commonly used. This dissimilarity creates a gap between pre-clinical and clinical training skills. The current study sought to evaluate the effects of the use of high-speed and low-speed handpieces by dental students during their pre-clinical training. Twenty-one undergraduate dental students at the College of Dentistry of Taibah University participated in this study. Each student was asked to prepare class I cavities using high-speed air turbine and lowspeed/ high-torque handpieces. The time required for cavity preparation was recorded by the authors. The prepared cavities were evaluated for quality and skill using a six-point scale. The data were statistically analysed with paired t and Mann Whitney tests. There was no significant difference in cavity preparation time between the low-speed and high-speed handpieces [538.29 and 483.76 s, respectively]. The evaluations of the cavities revealed no difference in the quality of preparations between the low- and high-speed handpieces. Additionally, no significant difference in the surface roughness of the preparations was observed. The type of handpiece did not influence the learning capabilities of the undergraduate dental students in the preparation of preparing class I cavities. This study did not observe any significant differences between the cavities that were prepared by our students using either high-speed or low-speed handpieces

Evaluation of root canal morphology of maxillary molars using cone beam computed tomography

The success of endodontic treatment is based on cleaning and shaping of the root canals. The root canals have complex morphology and wide individual variations. The objective of this study was to analyze root canals morphology and existence of extra canals in maxillary molars in Saudi subpopulation. Freshly extracted maxillary first molars [n=100] were included in this study. All teeth were examined for morphology of roots, root canals and apical foramen by Cone Beam Computed Tomography [CBCT]. The root canals configuration was classified using Vertucci's classification. The majority of maxillary first molars [94%] were having three distinctly separated roots and 6% had four roots. Palatal and distobuccal roots were observed to contain one root canal [100%] and Vertucci's type I configuration. The mesiobuccal root had one [29.4%; type I] or two canals [70.6%; type II, III or IV]. The occurrence of second canal in the mesiobuccal root of upper first molar is very much likely [>70%]. The mesiobuccal roots are more likely to have Vertucci's type I or II configuration [>76%]. The palatal and distobuccal roots always have a Vertucci's type I canal configuration

Clinical management of a mandibular first molar with supernumerary distal root [radix entomolaris]

Radix entomolares, a supernumerary root on a mandibular molar, located distolingually, is an anatomical variation of the mandibular first molar. This variation requires special care in order to maintain a high success rate of root canal treatment. This paper describes the procedure for treatment of a mandibular first molar with three roots [one mesial and two distal] and four canals [two mesial and one in each distobuccal and distolingual root]. This case report reveals the importance of anatomical knowledge of root canals and preoperative radiographs.