ABSTRACT
The guiding principle in managing trauma to the primary dentition is potential sequelae to the permanent tooth. If the risk to the permanent tooth is great, the primary tooth should be removed. If esthetics is a concern to the parent, a number of appliances can be fabricated to temporarily manage this issue. It is important that parents realize that the desire to maintain optimum esthetics by maintaining a significantly injured primary tooth can, in many cases, cause more damage to the permanent tooth. Where avulsions have occurred, the old adage "when in doubt, leave it out" is still perhaps the most reliable advice.
ABSTRACT
Given the available choices in restorative materials, the practitioner must carefully consider each case individually. Size of the lesion, expected life span, and need for preventive considerations all play a factor in the appropriate choice of materials to restore the primary dentition.
Subject(s)
Dental Restoration, Permanent/methods , Pediatric Dentistry , Child , Child, Preschool , Compomers , Composite Resins , Dental Amalgam , Dentin-Bonding Agents , Glass Ionomer Cements , Humans , Pit and Fissure Sealants , PulpotomyABSTRACT
Pulp therapy in the primary dentition remains a technique generating a tremendous amount of study. Formocresol has been and continues to be the most commonly used intrapulpal medicament despite its known ability to escape the microcirculation of the pulp. Ferric sulfate has gained significant favor as a result of formocresol's disadvantages, though at the cost of requiring a much more acute awareness of the potential for remaining disease and its ability to mask that process. Mineral trioxide aggregate perhaps offers the best immediate alternative to either of the above though at this time it is still cost-prohibitive in a practice that actively treats many children. And, as MTA has no fixative properties of its own, accurately analyzing the extent of the pulpal disease becomes even more critical to the overall success of the procedure. As with other techniques in dentistry, the debate is sure to continue for severl years to come.
Subject(s)
Dental Materials , Pulpectomy/methods , Pulpotomy/methods , Tooth, Deciduous , Aluminum Compounds , Calcium Compounds , Child , Child, Preschool , Crowns , Dental Caries/therapy , Dental Pulp Capping/methods , Dental Pulp Capping/trends , Dental Restoration, Permanent/methods , Drug Combinations , Ferric Compounds/therapeutic use , Formocresols/therapeutic use , Humans , Oxides , Pulpectomy/trends , Pulpitis/therapy , Pulpotomy/trends , Silicates , Stainless Steel , Tooth, Nonvital , Zinc Oxide-Eugenol CementABSTRACT
The guiding principle in managing trauma to the primary dentition is potential sequelae to the permanent tooth. If the risk to the permanent tooth is great, the primary tooth should be removed. If esthetics are a concern to the parent, a number of appliances can be fabricated to temporarily manage this issue. It is important that parents realize that the desire to maintain optimum esthetics by maintaining a significantly injured primary tooth can, in many cases, cause more damage to the permanent tooth. Where avulsions have occurred, the old adage "when in doubt, leave it out" is still perhaps the most reliable advice.
Subject(s)
Tooth Injuries/therapy , Tooth, Deciduous/injuries , Child , Child Abuse/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Dental Enamel Hypoplasia/etiology , Dental Pulp Necrosis/etiology , Humans , Root Resorption/etiology , Tooth Avulsion/surgery , Tooth Discoloration/etiology , Tooth Eruption, Ectopic/etiology , Tooth Fractures/therapy , Tooth Germ/injuries , Tooth Injuries/complications , Tooth Replantation , Tooth Root/abnormalitiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of positive radiographic findings in panoramic radiographs of edentulous arches. METHOD: A sample of 327 panoramic radiographs was selected from the patient pool at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Radiographs were evaluated for presence of retained root tips, impacted teeth, radiolucent and radiopaque areas, soft tissue calcifications, and foreign bodies. RESULTS: Approximately 57.5% of panoramic radiographs revealed no positive radio-graphic findings, while the remaining 42.5% contained 1 or more positive radiographic findings. Thirty-nine root fragments were identified, and the majority were located in the maxilla. However, only 5 pathological findings (3.8%) required treatment modification before denture fabrication. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study do not support routine pretreatment panoramic radiography on patients seeking denture fabrication. Panoramic radiography is a valuable diagnostic tool in the pretreatment assessment of partially and completely edentulous patients, but their routine use in such patients should be discouraged.
