The use of intraoral ultrasound in the evaluation of the benign lesions in pediatric patients.

Ultrasonography (US) or diagnostic sonography is a radiographic technique that uses sound waves with frequencies higher than 20 kHz to demonstrate soft tissues such as muscles, internal organs, joints, and tendons. The US has various applications in dentistry such as cervical lymph node examination, salivary gland examination, periodontal examination, maxillofacial fracture examination, temporomandibular joint examination, and orofacial swelling examination. One of the most important advantages of the US is it does not produce any ionizing radiation. Since the US does not produce any ionizing radiation, it is a favorable technique especially for the patients who are susceptible to ionizing radiation such as pregnant patients and pediatric patients. In this article, we presented benign tumor lesions that were examined with the US in children and conducted a review of the literature.

Evaluation of Root Canal Obturation Quality in Deciduous Molars with Different Obturation Materials: An In Vitro Micro-Computed Tomography Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the voids in root canal treatment of deciduous molar canals using three obturating materials and two obturation systems using micro-CT. Study Design. Thirty freshly extracted deciduous molars were used in this study. The specimens were instrumented using a ProTaper Universal rotary instrument and randomly assigned into six groups (n = 5). Mesiobuccal root canals were obturated using Ca(OH)2 and iodoform-Ca(OH)2 and ZOE cement. The materials were applied straight from the syringe up to the 2 mm coronal level of the apex. Subsequently, the Lentulo spiral and ultrasonic activation with endoactivator were used for obturation. All samples were scanned by micro-CT with 9.1 µm isotropic voxel resolution. The voids in cross-sectional images and 3D volumes of voids were measured. Differences among materials were statically evaluated (p < 0.05). RESULTS: All study groups showed voids. Ca(OH)2 and iodoform-Ca(OH)2 with ultrasonic activation produced fewer voids whereas the ZOE groups showed higher voids with statistical significance (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ca(OH)2 and iodoform-Ca(OH)2 with ultrasonic activation decrease void formation. Further studies should be done with other obturation techniques and materials for deciduous tooth root canal management.

Pulp exposure occurrence and outcomes after 1- or 2-visit indirect pulp therapy vs complete caries removal in primary and permanent molars.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether 1- or 2-visit indirect pulp therapy (IPT) is more successful and to determine if the operator can successfully decide when to stop removing caries without exposing the pulp. METHODS: A total of 154 teeth (94 primary second molars and 60 young permanent first molars) were included in the study from a total of 123 4- to 15-year-old patients. The teeth had deep carious lesions but lacked the preoperative signs and symptoms of irreversible pulpitis. The teeth were randomly selected and treated either with 1-visit IPT, 2-visit IPT, or direct complete excavation (DCE). Follow-up examinations were conducted on the teeth over 1 year at 3-month intervals. RESULTS: The pulp was exposed in 12 teeth (22%) treated by DCE, whereas 3 teeth (6%) were treated by 1-visit IPT and 4 teeth (8%) with 2-visit IPT. A statistically significant difference was found between IPT and DCE groups in terms of pulp exposure (P<.05). The teeth without pulp exposure showed normal clinical and radiographic conditions during the 1-year follow-up, except for 3 primary teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Indirect pulp therapy in both primary and young permanent teeth can be used successfully with a 1- or 2-visit approach.

A clinical and microbiological comparative study of deep carious lesion treatment in deciduous and young permanent molars.

The aim of this study was to compare one-visit indirect pulp treatment (IPT), two-visit IPT, and direct complete excavation (DCE) of deciduous and young permanent molars with deep carious lesions from clinical and microbiological points of view. One hundred thirty-five teeth (83 deciduous molars and 52 young permanent molars) were included in the study. The teeth were randomly selected and treated either with one-visit IPT, two-visit IPT, or DCE. For two-visit IPT, the final excavation was performed after a period of 3 months. The color, consistency, and humidity of the dentin at the cavity floor were recorded for clinical assessment, and dentin samples were obtained from all teeth. Dentin samples were microbiologically investigated for the total number of colony forming units, mutans streptococci, and lactobacilli. The results showed bacterial growth in 63.8% of the dentin samples in one-visit IPT, while in two-visit IPT, bacterial growth was observed in all of the samples (100%) after the first excavation. When the cavities were reopened before the final excavation, the number of samples with positive growth had decreased significantly (44.4%), and after the final excavation, the number of the samples with positive growth had decreased to 2.2%. In the DCE group, only 25.6% of the samples revealed bacterial growth. No statistical difference was found between deciduous and permanent molars in any of the treatment groups in terms of microbiologic results (p > 0.05). In conclusion, although none of the treatment methods completely eliminated the viable microorganisms during the initial excavations, a dramatic reduction in bacterial growth was detected during the treatment stages of two-visit IPT.

Double-rooted primary canines: A report of three cases.

This article reports three rare cases of birooted primary canines. In one of the three cases reported, the double-rooted primary canine was unilateral, which is a unique condition in the dental literature. One of the birooted primary canines was extracted for examination. Root canal morphology was examined using the clearing technique and three root canals were detected. The detection of birooted teeth requires a fastidious radiographic evaluation. Moreover, it should be kept in mind during endodontic therapy that the number of root canals might exceed the number of roots for these teeth.