Pulp pathosis associated with ancient Maya dental inlays.

OBJECTIVE: The ancient Maya used to practice dental inlays as part of the cultural traditions. Most of those inlays remain in place after more than one thousand years. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incidence of pulp pathosis associated with ancient Maya dental inlays to assess the impact that such common practice had on the population's oral health. DESIGN: We scored 193 anterior inlaid teeth from 107 pre-Hispanic Maya dentitions studied at three archaeological storage facilities (Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Harvard University, Atlas of Guatemala Project). Two hundred eleven untreated frontal teeth of pre-Hispanic Mayan collections were used as controls. We performed macroscopic, radiographic and microscopic analyses to assess the frequency of caries, pulp calcifications, internal root resorption (IRR), and periapical lesions (PALs). RESULTS: In the inlaid teeth, the frequencies of pulp calcifications, IRR, caries and PALs were 59.8%, 2.2%, 18.5% and 19.2%, respectively. Compared with untreated teeth, inlaid specimens exhibited greater susceptibility to caries, pulp calcifications, IRR and PALs than untreated teeth (pulp calcifications: 44.5%, IRR: 0%, caries: 1.4%, and PAL: 1.9%). Age-at-death did not have any significant influence on susceptibility to pulp calcifications, IRR, caries or PALs. CONCLUSIONS: We noted relatively low pulp irritation and a low frequency of carious infections, IRR and PALs in Mayan inlaid teeth. However, these levels exceeded the frequencies of untreated teeth from the same area and time period. We follow that the cements used by the pre-Hispanic Maya to fix the inlays into their sockets provided excellent sealing characteristics on average.

History, development and clinical success of porcelain inlays.

The drive for alternative to amalgam as a restorative material is led by concerns about the safety of mercury within amalgam and also by aesthetic demands from patients. Early attempts to address these issues produced disappointing results in terms of performance from directly-placed resin composites in posterior teeth. While directly-placed posterior restorative materials have improved in recent years the indirect constructed inlay may more readily meet the functional requirements of premolar/molar teeth. This article seeks to review the history, development and clinical success of porcelain when used as an inlay material. A case is included to demonstrate the clinical application of this aesthetic technique and the author's personal recommendations.

The evolution of aesthetic restorative materials for inlays and onlays: a review.

Composite and ceramic restorations are well-accepted treatment modalities for anterior as well as posterior regions, and numerous systems are available. This article presents the historical development of tooth-colored restorations from their incipience in 1882 to the second generation laboratory composites of today. The causes of failures in the early ceramics are discussed, and the search to delineate the optimal qualities of ceramics is outlined, listing the improvements of each new generation. The inherent obstacle of ceramic brittleness is reviewed along with the specific requirements of preparation. The learning objective of this article is to present the development of tooth-colored restorations in a concise form and indicate the characteristics of the materials currently available.

[Descriptive and technical study of dental inlays in pre-Colombian Mexico]. / Etude descriptive et approche technique des incrustations dentaires dans le Mexique Precolombien.

The authors presents, in this paper, a study on dental inlays among Mexican pre-Colombians. To begin with, from the study sources, systematization, classification and some characteristics were extracted, being the best method for later being able to study the descriptive and technical aspects of these inlays while insisting on the quality of the cement used.

[Esthetic dentistry in the prehispanic world]. / Estética dental en el mundo prehispánico.

The dental practices found by Spaniards in the new world in the sixteenth century were totally different from the ones done in Europe at that time. They were of two types, ornamental and curative. This paper displays the diverse types of ornamental dental practices performed in pre-Hispanic America, which have nothing to do with the concept of Odontology, as the object of these practices was to impart a type of dental aesthetics different from the classical concept of beauty. Outstanding among such practices were inlays, filing and polishing of teeth, and their pigmentation.

Development of dental ceramics. An historical perspective.

This article covers the inception and development of porcelain and its adoption into dentistry as a restorative material substituting for natural tooth. The turbulent years of development of dental porcelain with the innumerable waxing and waning fortunes of its acceptance and success are outlined. The major milestones in the historical and scientific development and refinements of dental porcelain materials are covered from its earliest beginnings to modern day materials.

Inlayed teeth of ancient Mayans: a tribological study using the SEM.

A study has begun of inlayed teeth of Meso-American Indian skulls using scanning electron microscopy and modelling techniques. Round cavity preparations 2-3 mm in diameter and 1-2 mm deep had been cut through the enamel and just into the underlying dentin of the teeth. The vertical walls of the preparation met the floor in either a square, rounded or undercut form. Towards its center, the floor was occasionally elevated, sometimes depressed and commonly rounded. Closer examination showed abrasion anomalies as concentric, shallow grooves cut into the tooth tissue. A modification of the Semenovian principle was employed to determine the tool: 1) from the marks registered the the cavity and 2) the outline form of the preparation itself. Preparing cavities experimentally in teeth using wood and stone drills and sand as an abrasive produced certain characteristics consistent with those in the Meso-American teeth in which wooden drills created a variety of cutting patterns which included flat, elevated and depressed floors in the preparations. We have tentatively concluded that suggestions for the use of a tubular drill does not adequately explain the variety of forms encountered and that the cutting patterns were more consistent with the use of a wooden drill and sand.