A Radiographic Correlation between Renal and Pulp Stones.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between pulp stones and renal stones. This study also aims to report associations between the presence of pulp stone and gender, age, tooth type, dental arches and sides. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected through radiographic examination of bitewing radiographs of 116 kidney stone patients and a similar number of age-matched controls, referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University. Two oral radiologists examined the radiographs to identify pulp stones. The Chi-squared and Mann Whitney U tests were used to investigate the correlations between the presence of pulp chamber calcification and age, gender, dental status and kidney stone. RESULTS: Pulp chamber opacities were detected in 199 (19.3%) out of the 1031 examined teeth, and in 84 (72.4%) out of the 116 kidney stone patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the study and control group (p = 0.882). The occurrence of pulp stones was significantly higher in molars than premolars and similar prevalences were found between dental arches and sides. CONCLUSION: In this study, no correlation was found between the presence of pulp stones and kidney stones in the investigated group. Therefore, the presence of pulp stones does not seem to be correlated with that of kidney stones.

Radiographic assessment of the technical quality and periapical health of root-filled teeth performed by general practitioners in a Turkish subpopulation.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate by means of radiographs the technical quality of root fillings performed by dental practitioners. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Standardized periapical radiographs were made on 484 patients who received endodontic treatment in private practice. A total of 831 endodontically treated teeth with 1448 roots were evaluated for technical quality of the root canal filling and the periapical status of the teeth. Also, the apical status of each root-filled tooth was assessed according to the length, density, and taper of root fillings, and the presence of apical transportation, broken root instruments, and overfilled sealer or gutta-percha material was recorded for each root canal. RESULTS: Of the endodontically treated teeth 26.6% had healthy periapical tissues, while technically good endodontic treatment constituted 12.8%. Based on the treatment success, there was no significant difference between the tooth groups. Statistical analysis of the data did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the various parameters that were evaluated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Technical quality of root fillings in a population who received treatment in private practice was poor and was consistent with a low prevalence of apical health. The probable reasons for this failure are multifactorial and may be improved if the operators improve their skills with continuing postgraduate education programs.

The prevalence of pulp stones in a Turkish population. A radiographic survey.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of pulp stones in a Turkish population. Any possible associations between pulp stones and gender, tooth type and dental arch were also evaluated. STUDY DESIGN: Four hundred and sixty nine patients' bitewing radiographs which were reached through the patient database of Erciyes University Dentistry School, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology were examined. Of these 469 subjects whose mean age was 24( ± 10.7), 302 were females and 167 were males. A total of 6,926 teeth were examined during this study. Pulp stones were recorded as present or absent and any relations with gender, tooth type and dental arch were noted. RESULTS: Pulp stones were identified in 270 (57.6 %) of the subjects and in 1,038 (15 %) of the teeth examined. Their presence were seldom found in the premolars (9.07%) but was much higher in the molars (90.92 %). Pulp stone occurrence was significantly more common in the first molars than in the second molars, and in the first premolars than in the second premolars in each dental arch. Their occurrence was higher in the maxilla than in the mandible for each tooth type. No difference between the two genders could be identified. CONCLUSION: Pulp stones are not only incidental radiographic findings of the pulp tissue but may also be an indicator of some serious underlying disease. On the other hand, they may provide useful information to predict about the susceptibility of patients for other dystrophic soft tissue calcifications such as urinary calculi and calcified atheromas. However, further study on this issue is needed.

Anterior Stafne bone defect mimicking a residual cyst: a case report.

Stafne bone defects (SBDs) are asymptomatic lingual bone depressions of the lower jaw that are frequently caused by soft tissue inclusion. The common variant of SBDs exists at the third molar region of the mandible below the inferior dental canal and has been mostly diagnosed incidentally during routine radiographic examination. The anterior variant of a SBD (ASBD) is relatively uncommon and is located in the premolar region of the mandible. Sublingual salivary glands are thought to be responsible for ASBDs. However, other structures such as lymphoid or vascular tissues might be associated with ASBDs. In the present report, an ASBD which was mimicking a residual cyst was diagnosed with the aid of a three-dimensional CT scan. ASBDs might be confused with other odontogenic or non-odontogenic pathologies because of their location and lower occurrence rate. Advanced imaging modalities, especially CT scans, are useful to assess such lesions in order to avoid unnecessary surgery.

Investigation of elongated styloid process prevalence in patients with torus palatinus.

The aim of the current study was to determine the presence of styloid process elongation (SPE) detected on panoramic radiographs in patients with torus palatinus (TP). Between December 2005 and November 2007, a total of 149 patients with TP are investigated for routine dental examination in the outpatient clinic. Any patient who had disorders related to calcium and phosphorus metabolism was excluded. All medical data were obtained from the files. Twenty (15%) subjects demonstrated SPE at least one side. These patients consisted of 15 women (14.3% of all women) and five men (17.8% of all men). In our previous report performed in normal population at the same region, the prevalence had been found to be 7.7% in 698 dental patients. Although the number of the patients is different in both studies, there is a marked difference in terms of the SPE prevalence between the two reports. This prevalence difference might be related to concomitant disorder.