Evaluation of the Smear Layer Removal Ability of Various Rotary Files with/without Chemical Agents on Primary Teeth: An In Vitro Study.

AIM: The aim of the current study was to assess the cleaning and smear layer removal efficacy of two different rotary files with or without chemical agents on primary teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the study, 90 extracted primary maxillary incisors without internal or external resorption and with at least two-thirds of complete roots were chosen. Then, based on the kind of instruments used to clean and shape the canals, they were randomly assigned to three experimental groups, each consisting of 30 teeth. Group-I: The canal was instrumented manually with K-files, Group-II: The canal was instrumented with Kedo-S files, Group-III: The canal was instrumented with Kedo-SG Blue files. After the canals were finally instrumented, 2 mL of QMixTM solution was used to irrigate 15 samples from each group. The samples were subsequently allowed to remain in the canals for 90 seconds in order to eliminate the smear layer. After that a stereomicroscope was used to assess the cleaning effectiveness. RESULTS: With irrigant solution, the highest mean value was found in manual K-files (2.86 ± 0.34), followed by Kedo-S files group (1.34 ± 0.26) and Kedo-SG Blue files (1.28 ± 0.18). Without irrigant solution, the highest mean value was found in manual K-files (2.92 ± 0.22) followed by Kedo-S files group (1.44 ± 0.18) and Kedo-SG Blue files (1.36 ± 0.14). There was a statistically significant difference found at all the three levels. CONCLUSION: On conclusion, the current study's findings demonstrated that irrigation solution was significantly more effective in cleaning and removing smear layers from pediatric rotary files than manual K-files. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The effectiveness of endodontic therapy depends on a successful chemomechanical preparation. The canals are instrumented using either hand files or rotary instruments; there are several irrigation and instrumentation techniques. In order to completely sterilize the canals, chemical agents are utilized for irrigation during instrumentation. Due to their numerous biological, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant qualities, many natural compounds are also utilized as irrigants. How to cite this article: Abushanan A. Evaluation of the Smear Layer Removal Ability of Various Rotary Files with/without Chemical Agents on Primary Teeth: An In Vitro Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(4):354-357.

Assessment of Two Different Obturation Systems in Primary Teeth: A Comparative Study.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two distinct obturation techniques in primary teeth. Materials and Methods: For this investigation, 40 primary molar teeth were taken into consideration. Every sample underwent sample preparation. All teeth were evenly split into two groups: Group 1-obturation using the lentulospiral method and Group 2-obturation using the NaviTip method. The comparison between the two procedures was established through radiographic evaluation of the obturation quality and voids in the obturated canals. Results: In the lentulospiral method, 12 (60%) were optimal filling, 6 (30%) were underfilling, and 2 (10%) were overfilling. In the lentulo spiral method, 40% voids were present, and in the NaviTip method, 15% voids were present. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the NaviTip syringe method was sufficiently effective in regulating voids and yielded the best results for the apical seal, whereas the lentulo spiral approach generated the best results in terms of length of obturation.

Pre-Treatment and Post-Treatment Dental Anxiety in Patients Visiting Intern Dental Clinic.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the dental anxiety of patients using the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) questionnaire along with examining the possible relationship between dental anxiety and sociodemographic factors. Materials and Methods: The MDAS questionnaire was used to assess the anxiety level of the patients which included a total of five questions and five options to respond to each question. MDAS questionnaire was filled out by all the patients before the dental treatment. After finishing the treatment, all the patients were given a post-treatment questionnaire to assess their anxiety levels after treatment. Descriptive statistics were performed for measuring the frequency of responses. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the anxiety between the gender. The chi-square test was used to identify the distribution of pre-treatment with gender and post-treatment questionnaire with gender and treatment modalities. Linear regression was used to identify the association between clinical variables and different levels of anxiety. Results: A total of 115 patients including 59 males and 56 females with a mean age of 35 ± 11.34 years were included in the current study. Female patients were significantly more anxious about dental treatment compared to male patients. Linear regression showed that age and gender have a significant association with the pre-treatment anxiety level; however, types of treatment is not associated with the MDAS. Anxiety levels decreased for the majority of the patients after the treatment and types of treatment did not show any differences with the post-treatment anxiety level. Conclusions: Age and gender play an important role in dental anxiety; however, types of treatment are not associated with pre-treatment and post-treatment dental anxiety.

Assessment of the Efficacy of Different Desensitizing Agents on Dentinal Tubules Occlusion- An In vitro Study.

Aim: The aim of the current research was to evaluate the effectiveness of three desensitizing agents on the occlusion of dentinal tubules. Materials and Methods: Eighty human maxillary and mandibular permanent premolar teeth that were subjected to extraction in the course of orthodontic treatment were utilized in this study. The teeth were subjected to sectioning by employing a double-sided diamond disk. A block was procured from every even cervical dentinal surface with dimensions of 4 mm × 4 mm × 3 mm (L × B × H) by sectioning the tooth transversely. Further, 35% phosphoric acid was utilized for 30 s to cause dentinal etching, thereby exposing the dentinal tubules. The blocks of dentin were assigned at random to one of the following four groups (n = 20): group I: control, group II: bioactive glass containing desensitizing agent, group III: 1% nano-hydroxyapatite containing desensitizing agent, group IV: tri-calcium phosphate-containing desensitizing agent. The exterior of the specimens was scanned and evaluated using a scanning electron microscope. Results: 1% nano-hydroxyapatite-containing desensitizing agent (2.04 ± 0.08) exhibited higher mean dentinal tubular blockage, followed by the bioactive class-containing desensitizing substance (2.26 ± 0.19), tri-calcium phosphate desensitizing agent (2.84 ± 0.10), and the control group (4.18 ± 0.12) in that order. Amid the experimental groups employing the various desensitizing substances, there were significant differences statistically with P < 0.001. Conclusion: The current research concluded that each of the three desensitizing agents was efficient in dentinal tubular occlusion regardless of their different chemical constitution. However, it was noted that 1% nano-hydroxyapatite-containing desensitizing agent was marginally superior to the bioactive glass- and tri-calcium phosphate-containing desensitizing agents.

Variation in Hemodynamic Characteristics during Periodontal Crown-Lengthening Surgical Procedure: An Uncontrolled Cohort Study.

(1) Background: The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the changes in primary hemodynamic parameters and oxygen saturation in systemically healthy patients during the surgical procedure involving crown lengthening. (2) Methods: A total of 44 patients who required a crown-lengthening procedure in a single tooth in the maxillary arch were included in this study. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured in all the subjects at three different intervals: before injecting the anesthetic (T1), after the anesthetic injection (T2) and after the procedure (T3). Descriptive statistics were computed, and observations were recorded as mean and standard deviation (SD). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the mean observation within parameters at different time intervals. (3) Results: All primary hemodynamic parameters were increased in the T2 phase over T1 and decreased in the T3 phase over T2. However, SpO2 decreased in both the T2 and T3 phases compared to the initial T1 phase. No significant differences were observed among the primary hemodynamic variables. However, SpO2 showed a significant difference (p = 0.013) among the T1, T2 and T3 phases. (4) Conclusions: Further study with larger sample size is required in order to analyze the accurate hemodynamic alterations.

Fracture Resistance of Primary Zirconia Crowns: An In Vitro Study.

In this study, we evaluated the fracture resistance of three commercially available prefabricated primary zirconia crowns and their correlation with dimensional variance. METHODS: a total of 42 zirconia crowns were selected from three companies, (1) NuSmile primary zirconia crowns, (2) Cheng Crowns zirconia, and (3) Sprig EZ crowns. The crowns were divided into two groups based on their location in the oral cavity and further divided into subgroups based on the brand. All of the samples were subjected to fracture tests using a universal testing machine. RESULTS: the mean load observed was highest with Cheng Crowns zirconia anterior crowns (1355 ± 484) and the least load was seen with Sprig EZ anterior crowns with a mean load of 339 ± 94. The mean load observed was highest with Cheng Crowns zirconia posterior crowns (1990 ± 485) followed by NuSmile posterior crowns and the least load was seen with Sprig EZ posterior crowns with a mean load of 661 ± 184. CONCLUSION: the Cheng crowns showed the highest fracture resistance amongst all three groups. Overall, the zirconia crowns (anterior and posterior) tested showed optimum mechanical properties to withstand the masticatory forces.

Antibacterial Effect of Metronidazole vs Chlorhexidine Solutions in Treatment of Root Canals of Primary Anterior Teeth.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antibacterial effect of 0.5% metronidazole, 2% chlorhexidine, and normal saline irrigant solutions against Enterococcus faecalis bacteria in the treatment of root canals of primary anterior teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out on sixty nonvital primary anterior teeth of Egyptian children diagnosed with (early childhood caries) ECC. These teeth were classified equally into three groups according to irrigation materials. A fresh sample was collected from each root canal after access opening before and 3 days after irrigation with the help of a paper point. The number of organisms (E. faecalis) before and after irrigation was compared for each group. RESULTS: The bacterial count of E. faecalis was decreased in all groups however, these differences were statistically insignificant where (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Both 0.5% metronidazole and 2.0% chlorhexidine appeared to be superior against E. faecalis bacteria as endodontic irrigants in pulpectomy anterior primary teeth with higher antibacterial efficacy compared to saline. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The success of endodontic treatment depends on the removal of microbes, from the root canals and avoidance of reinfection thus; this study provides an insight on the effects of different irrigant solutions to further help dental practitioners in the endodontic management of primary dentition.