Removal time of fiber posts versus titanium posts.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the time needed to remove a glass reinforced fiber post versus a titanium post. METHODS: 40 extracted anterior teeth were mounted in acrylic blocks then treated endodontically. They were randomly assigned to three groups. The teeth were sectioned horizontally, with the coronal portion removed. The fiber posts were cemented with resin cement and the titanium posts were cemented with glass ionomer or resin cement. The fiber posts were removed by coring them out internally. The titanium posts were removed by creating a trough around the post then vibrating with ultrasonic energy. The teeth were examined visually and radiographically to ensure complete removal of the post and cement. Removal time included the time to make radiographs necessary to ensure complete removal. RESULTS: Post-cement combination significantly affected the median rank of the removal time (Kruskal-Wallis test; H = 12.709; P = 0.002). The mean rank removal time of titanium posts cemented with resin cement were significantly higher than the mean rank of the other two post-cement combinations (Dunn's multiple comparison test; P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the other two combinations.

Infection control in the dental office.

The risk of infectious disease transmission is an inherent part of dental practice. Fortunately, such risks can be greatly reduced through modern infection control practices. Such practices include the use of various measures, including administrative, engineering, and work practice controls. Such measures should be codified in an office infection control plan, which should form the basis for the daily infection control activities of the staff. This article discusses some of the measures that should be taken to safeguard the health of dental healthcare workers and patients.

Regulatory compliance in the dental office.

Dentists in the private sector, as well as their academic counterparts, must comply with a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. The scope of this regulation ranges from specifying who may engage in the practice of dentistry to the disposition of extracted teeth. In this review, some requirements imposed by various regulatory agencies are described. Because of the importance of state and local oversight, each clinician must determine what state and local requirements exist for them. A number of states have enacted various regulations that are more stringent than the federal versions. It is necessary, therefore, to seek appropriate local counsel regarding applicable statutes and regulations.

Rotational path removable partial denture: an esthetic alternative.

Missing teeth can be replaced using any of a number of methods. Patients may choose to replace missing teeth with a prosthesis that is either removable, fixed, or retained with implants. When it is necessary to replace anterior or posterior teeth, a properly designed and fabricated rotational path removable partial denture can be both successful and esthetically pleasing to the patient. However, while a patient's functional and esthetic needs can be met successfully, rotational path removable partial dentures can be more demanding for the laboratory technician to fabricate and for the dentist to seat in the mouth. Rotational path removable partial dentures frequently are overlooked as a viable means of treating missing teeth. This article reviews the principles of rotational path removable partial dentures, as well as their categories, advantages, and disadvantages, in the hope that more dentists will consider them when the need arises.

Did we push dental ceramics too far? A brief history of ceramic dental implants.

Humankind has developed and used ceramics throughout history. It currently has widespread industrial applications. Dental ceramics are used for fabricating highly esthetic prosthetic denture teeth, crowns, and inlays. However, ceramic's biocompatibility and compressive strength are offset by its hardness and brittleness. Nonetheless, a single crystal sapphire aluminum oxide endosseous implant was developed in 1972 as an alternative to metal. It was more esthetic than its metallic counterparts and was eventually produced in a variety of shapes and sizes. Clinical studies demonstrated its excellent soft and hard tissue biocompatibility, yet the range of problems included fractures during surgery, fractures after loading, mobility, infection, pain, bone loss, and lack of osseointegration. Ultimately, single crystal sapphire implants fell into irredeemable disfavor because of its poor impact strength, and dentists and surgeons eventually turned to other implant materials. However, bioactive ceramic coatings on metal implants have kept ceramics as a key component in dental implantology.

PMMA: an essential material in medicine and dentistry.

The first use of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a dental device was for the fabrication of complete denture bases. Its qualities of biocompatibility, reliability, relative ease of manipulation, and low toxicity were soon seized upon and incorporated by many different medical specialties. PMMA has been used for (a) bone cements; (b) contact and intraocular lens; (c) screw fixation in bone; (d) filler for bone cavities and skull defects; and (e) vertebrae stabilization in osteoporotic patients. The many uses of PMMA in the field of medicine will be the focus of this review, with particular attention paid to assessing its physical properties, advantages, disadvantages, and complications. Although numerous new alloplastic materials show promise, the versatility and reliability of PMMA cause it to remain a popular and frequently used material.

Vitallium.

Vitallium is a base metal alloy that has been used in dentistry and medicine since 1929. This article will focus on the historical perspectives of Vitallium and include the dental and medical applications used today. The physical and chemical properties of Vitallium will be discussed, with particular emphasis on the biocompatibility of the metal. Finally, the future uses of Vitallium will be examined, as will the potential dangers in fabricating prostheses using this base metal alloy.