The prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of external cervical resorption: a retrospective practice-based study.

OBJECTIVES: External cervical root resorption (ECR) is a poorly understood and aggressive form of resorption. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors associated with the occurrence of ECR in patients seeking endodontic care from private practice settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of 343 patients with 390 teeth diagnosed with ECR were identified from 3 private endodontic practices from 2008 to 2022. The patients' demographic information, systemic conditions, and dental history were recorded. The characteristics of the cases including Heithersay classification, pulpal and periapical status, and their management were documented. The association between case severity and potential predisposing factors was examined using chi-square analysis. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ECR among patients seeking endodontic care was low (< 1%). However, there was a greater than twofold increase in the pooled prevalence from 2016 to 2021 (0.99%) compared to the data from 2010 to 2015 (0.46%). The most commonly affected teeth were anterior teeth (48.7%). Class II (30.0%) and class III (45.4%) defects were the most often identified. Patients with a history of trauma or orthodontic treatment were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with severe cervical resorption (class III or IV) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increase in the prevalence of ECR in patients seeking endodontic care. A history of orthodontic treatment and traumatic dental mechanical injuries may predict the severity of resorption. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The upward trend in the occurrence of ECR warrants close monitoring of the patients at high risk of developing the condition to facilitate early detection and management.

MTA Pulpotomies: A Long-Term Case Series Outcomes Assessment of Complicated Crown Fractures.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective case series describes the outcomes of anterior teeth with complicated fractures treated using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in pulpotomy procedures. METHODS: 33 teeth were treated with MTA pulpotomy procedures in an endodontic private practice. All patients had been referred to the practice for diagnosis and treatment of a pulpal exposure due to complicated crown fractures. The teeth were either recalled directly or "indirectly" by the referring dentist. Teeth recalled directly were categorized as healed, healing, non- surgical root canal treatment completed for either aesthetic or restorative reasons, or persistent disease. Teeth recalled indirectly were categorized as successful or failed. RESULTS: 27 teeth were available for recall; 20 teeth directly and 7 teeth indirectly. The mean recall for teeth recalled directly was 3.94 years and the mean recall for teeth recalled indirectly was 5.9 years. The recall range for teeth recalled directly was 0.51 to 10.49 years and for teeth recalled indirectly was 3.58 to 10.66 years. Of the cases available for direct recall, 13 of 20 teeth were healed positive to pulp tests, 4 of 20 teeth were healed negative to pulp tests and 3 of 20 teeth had non-surgical root canal treatment completed. 15 of the 20 teeth recalled directly where discolored. 7 of 7 teeth recalled indirect were successful as determined by the radiographs and a report from the restorative dentist. CONCLUSIONS: MTA is a viable alternative to calcium hydroxide for pulpotomies.

Missed canal systems are the most likely basis for endodontic retreatment of molars.

Unfortunately, a small percentage of endodontically treated teeth do not respond favorably to non-surgical root canal treatment. Failure to cate and treat an additional nal system is cited as the principle basis for endodontic retreatment. The aim of this retrospective clinical study was to identify the incidence of additional or missed canal systems in molar retreatment cases in a private practice setting. Missed canals were identified in 64 of the 133 previously treated teeth (48%). Of the total missed canals, 11% involved a maxillary second molar and 44% involved a maxillary first molar. For the maxillary first molars, 93% of all missed canal were identified in the mesiobuccal root. In the mandibular second molars, 29% of missed canals were identified in the distal and 71% were identified in the mesial root. In the mandibular first molars, 86% of missed canals were identified in the distal and 14% were identified in the mesial root. The results of the current study support the findings of previous studies and confirm the importance of locating, instrumenting and obturating the endodontic treatment. Given that failure to locate all canal systems of a tooth contributes significantly to unsuccessful endodontic treatment, all measures available to the clinician to maximize canal identification should be used.

Procedural mishaps with trephine-based intraosseous anesthesia.

Failure to achieve profound anesthesia during dental treatment can be a significant problem for dental clinicians, especially for endodontic procedures on teeth in the mandibular arch with irreversible pulpitis. A number of supplemental local anesthesia techniques exist, the most effective of which may be the intraosseous injection. Two cases are presented demonstrating the dangers associated with the use of the intraosseous anesthesia technique. While the technique can provide profound anesthesia in otherwise difficult to anesthetize cases, care must be taken during its administration. Both cases show the damage done to the root and overlying bone by the injudicious use of the trephine. It is incumbent on the clinician to fully consider the anatomy in the area prior to insertion of the trephine. Intraosseous anesthesia techniques are a valuable addition to the clinicians' armamentarium. However careless administration can result in problems of endodontic or periodontal nature that may be difficult to rectify.

Retrospective analysis of open apex teeth obturated with mineral trioxide aggregate.

This study is a retrospective analysis of the outcome of initial nonsurgical root canal treatment of teeth with open apices, obturated with mineral trioxide aggregate when no apical barrier existed. One hundred sixteen patients from a single private endodontic office were treated between 1999 and 2006. Treatments on 144 teeth were completed either in one (92/144) or two visits with an interim calcium hydroxide interappointment medication (52/144). Fifty-four percent (78/144) of the teeth were available for recall (60.3% one visit and 39.7% two visits). The maximum time to recall was 4.87 years. The mean time to recall was 19.4 months. Of the cases recalled for period of 1 year or longer, 93.5% of teeth treated in 1 visit healed, and 90.5% of teeth treated in 2 visits healed.

Vital pulp therapy with new materials: new directions and treatment perspectives--permanent teeth.

Pulp necrosis in immature teeth subsequent to caries has a major impact on long-term tooth retention. The aim of vital pulp therapy is to maintain pulp viability by eliminating bacteria from the dentin-pulp complex and to establish an environment in which apexogenesis can occur. A complicating factor in treating immature teeth is the difficulty predicting the degree of pulpal damage. The ability of the clinician to manage the health of the remaining pulpal tissue during the procedure is paramount. Currently, the best method appears to be the ability to control pulpal hemorrhage by using sodium hypochlorite. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) currently is the optimum material for use in vital pulp therapy. Compared with the traditional material of calcium hydroxide, it has superior long-term sealing ability and stimulates a higher quality and greater amount of reparative dentin. In the medium-term clinical assessment, it has demonstrated a high success rate. Thus, MTA is a good substitute for calcium hydroxide in vital pulp procedures.

Vital pulp therapy with new materials: new directions and treatment perspectives--permanent teeth.

Pulp necrosis in immature teeth subsequent to caries has a major impact on long-term tooth retention. The aim of vital pulp therapy is to maintain pulp viability by eliminating bacteria from the dentin-pulp complex and to establish an environment in which apexogenesis can occur. A complicating factor in treating immature teeth is the difficulty predicting the degree of pulpal damage. The ability of the clinician to manage the health of the remaining pulpal tissue during the procedure is paramount. Currently, the best method appears to be the ability to control pulpal hemorrhage by using sodium hypochlorite. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) currently is the optimum material for use in vital pulp therapy. Compared with the traditional material of calcium hydroxide, it has superior long-term sealing ability and stimulates a higher quality and greater amount of reparative dentin. In the medium-term clinical assessment, it has demonstrated a high success rate. Thus, MTA is a good substitute for calcium hydroxide in vital pulp procedures.

Mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomies: a case series outcomes assessment.

BACKGROUND: The greatest threats to developing teeth are dental caries and traumatic injury. A primary goal of all restorative treatment is to maintain pulp vitality so that normal root development or apexogenesis can occur. If pulpal exposure occurs, then a pulpotomy procedure aims to preserve pulp vitality to allow for normal root development. Historically, calcium hydroxide has been the material of choice for pulpotomy procedures. Recently, an alternative material called mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has demonstrated the ability to induce hard-tissue formation in pulpal tissue. The authors describe the clinical and radiographic outcome of a series of cases involving the use of MTA in pulpotomy procedures. METHODS: Twenty-three cases in 18 patients were treated with MTA pulpotomy procedures in an endodontic private practice. All of the patients had been referred to the practice for diagnosis and treatment of a symptomatic tooth. All of the authors provided treatment. Pulpal exposures were either due to caries or complicated enamel dentin fractures. RESULTS: Nineteen teeth in 14 patients were available for recall. The mean time of recall was 19.7 months. Of the 19 cases, 15 involved healed teeth, and three involved teeth that were healing. One of 19 cases involved a tooth with persistent disease. CONCLUSIONS: MTA may be useful as a substitute for calcium hydroxide in pulpotomy procedures. Further research, however, is required to clarify this conclusion. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: MTA conceivably could replace calcium hydroxide as the material of choice for pulpotomy procedures, if future research continues to show promising results.

Preliminary evaluation of BMP-2 expression and histological characteristics during apexification with calcium hydroxide and mineral trioxide aggregate.

Histological characteristics and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression were evaluated in apexification procedures using calcium hydroxide [Ca (OH)2] and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). In three of four quadrants of the mouth, monkey (Macaca fascicularis) teeth were infected by pulpal exposure to saliva. After 90 days, each group was treated with Ca (OH)2 or MTA. Infected, untreated teeth were used as negative controls and normally developing teeth were used as positive controls. Areas within the apical region of each sample were scored based upon histological findings and BMP-2 expression. Overall, BMP-2 expression in all areas was similar in the Ca (OH)2, MTA, and infection/no treatment groups, which tended to be more immunoreactive for BMP-2 than the untreated group. Use of MTA in combination with Ca (OH)2 may initiate regeneration of the periodontium more quickly than either material used alone, but further studies involving MTA use in apical closure are indicated.

Survival of human periodontal ligament cells in media proposed for transport of avulsed teeth.

Many solutions have been examined as possible storage media for avulsed teeth. In this report, human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were exposed for 1 h to culture medium, milk, Hanks Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), Soft Wear, Opti Free, and Solo Care contact lens solutions, Gatorade, and tap water, at room temperature and on ice. The number of viable cells was counted using the trypan blue exclusion technique, immediately after exposure (0 h) and at 24 and 48 h, to test the proliferative capacity of the cells after treatment. The results indicated that a significantly higher number of cells survived and proliferated when the exposures were performed at 0 degrees C. Water had a detrimental effect on the cells, whereas culture medium and HBSS preserved significantly more viable cells than the other experimental solutions. Within the parameters of this study, it appears that HBSS is the optimal storage medium for avulsed teeth. Low-fat milk could serve as an alternative if ice is available. Contact lens solutions or Gatorade on ice could serve as short-term (1 h) storage media if the other solutions are not readily available.

Histological and scanning electron microscopy assessment of various vital pulp-therapy materials.

Pulp capping and pulpotomy procedures were performed on 15 male mongrel dogs. Three materials were used: calcium hydroxide, acid-etched dentin bonding, and mineral trioxide aggregate. Six of the animals were killed at 50 days and nine were killed at 150 days. Samples from 11 dogs were used for histological evaluation, and the remaining dog samples were used for scanning electron microscopy evaluation. Each slide was graded histologically according to previously published criteria. Scanning electron microscopy analysis was performed, and the weight percentage of elements found in the dentin of a nontreated tooth versus the bridge formed in the exposed specimen was established. By evaluating pulp inflammation in vital pulp-therapy treatments, it was found that mineral trioxide aggregate was not significantly different from the untreated control group, both in pulp-capping procedures at 50 days (p = 0.357) or 150 days (p = 0.198) and pulpotomy procedures at 50 days (p = 0.357) or 150 days (p = 0.198). Moreover, histologically mineral trioxide aggregate was a considerably better material than calcium hydroxide or acid-etched dentin bonding in maintaining the integrity of the pulp.

Conservation and variation in enamel protein distribution during vertebrate tooth development.

Vertebrate enamel formation is a unique synthesis of the function of highly specialized enamel proteins and their effect on the growth and organization of apatite crystals. Among tetrapods, the physical structure of enamel is highly conserved, while there is a greater variety of enameloid tooth coverings in fish. In the present study, we postulated that in enamel microstructures of similar organization, the principle components of the enamel protein matrix would have to be highly conserved. In order to identify the enamel proteins that might be most highly conserved and thus potentially most essential to the process of mammalian enamel formation, we used immunoscreening with enamel protein antibodies as a means to assay for degrees of homology to mammalian enamel proteins. Enamel preparations from mouse, gecko, frog, lungfish, and shark were screened with mammalian enamel protein antibodies, including amelogenin, enamelin, tuftelin, MMP20, and EMSP1. Our results demonstrated that amelogenin was the most highly conserved enamel protein associated with the enamel organ, enamelin featured a distinct presence in shark enameloid but was also present in the enamel organ of other species, while the other enamel proteins, tuftelin, MMP20, and EMSP1, were detected in both in the enamel organ and in other tissues of all species investigated. We thus conclude that the investigated enamel proteins, amelogenin, enamelin, tuftelin, MMP20, and EMSP1, were highly conserved in a variety of vertebrate species. We speculate that there might be a unique correlation between amelogenin-rich tetrapod and lungfish enamel with long and parallel crystals and enamelin-rich basal vertebrate enameloid with diverse patterns of crystal organization.