A comparison between endodontics and implantology: an 8-year retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare endodontic and implant treatments and to evaluate their predictability over an 8-year period on the basis of an analysis of survival data and a retrospective clinical study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of 40 partially edentulous patients were selected for this study. Their teeth had been endodontically treated and rehabilitated using gold alloy and ceramic restorations. In these patients, 65 osseointegrated implants were restored with single gold alloy-ceramic crowns and monitored on a yearly basis for 8 years with standardized periapical radiographs, using a polivynilsiloxane occlusal key as a positioner. A total of nine patients who did not attend the yearly follow-up were excluded from the study. The Melloning and Triplett criteria were used to evaluate the clinical results obtained in the implant sites. The clinical results of the 56 endodontically treated teeth, restored with the fixed prosthesis of 40 patients, were analyzed according to probing depth as well as an assessment of the correct apical and coronal seals. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the statistical significance was calculated using the chi-square test. RESULTS: During the follow-up of the endodontically treated elements, seven failures were detected (83.34%) and the success rate of implants inserted in the same patients was equal to 80.8%, with nine implants lost in 8 years. The survival analysis of the elements treated with both therapies was not statistically significant (p = .757) and the confidence interval was between 0.2455 and 2.777. CONCLUSION: In view of the superimposable results between the two therapies, it should be noted that the endodontically treated teeth could be interested by different pathologies while the restoration of the atrophic edentulous ridge with an implant support is predictable when patients comply with correct oral hygiene and when the occlusal loads are axially distributed in implant-protected occlusion.

Ultrasonics in endodontic surgery: a review of the literature.

Currently, although ultrasonics (US) is used in dentistry for therapeutic and diagnostic applications as well as for cleaning of instruments before sterilization, its main use is for scaling and root planing of teeth and in root canal therapy, both for orthograde and retrograde therapy. Both in conventional and surgical treatments, US in endodontics has enhanced quality of clinical procedures and represents an important adjunct in the treatment of difficult cases. More precisely it has become increasingly more useful in applications such as gaining access to canal openings, cleaning and shaping, obturation of root canals, removal of intracanal materials and obstructions, and endodontic surgery. This review of the literature aims at presenting the numerous advantages of US in surgical endodontics and emphasizes its application in a modern-day endodontic practice.

[Piezosurgery mandibular enostosis: case report]. / Asportazione di enostosi mandibolare mediante tecnica piezoelettrica: case report.

The bone surgery has always used manual and rotary instruments. The biomedical engineering with ultrasound working principle has given a new surgery instruments, which allow a selective cutting action of bone tissue and the protection of soft tissue. Our case shows an uncommon clinical lesion surgically dangerous for the narrow adjoining of important anatomical structures as the lower alveolar artery and the lower alveolar nerve. The clinical result and recovery time go toward a smaller traumatic situation of this methodology of the cutting of bone tissue.