Quintessence International, 03/1993

A simple removable appliance to effect minor tooth extrusion of anterior teeth is described and its use is illustrated. This technique uses a labial bow in conjunction with a composi te resin button bonded to the labial surface of the tooth or teeth to be extruded.

Familial gingival fibromatosis affecting six members among three generations of an Islamic family is reported. Clinical findings are reported and the inheritance pattern is discussed. histopathologic examination of the excised tissue revealed mainly fibroblasts with prominent, rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. Cells with vesicular nuclei, resembling mast cells, were also observed.

Electronic dental anesthesia uses the Gate Control Theory of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The battery-controlled Ultracalm electronic dental anesthesia unit is a noninvasive procedure to electrically block pain transmissions in dental patients. This pilot study to test the efficacy of electronic dental anesthesia for simple restorative procedures was subjectively reported by 20 patients who had never been exposed to this type of anesthesia. None of the patients indicated the procedure was uncomfortable, and 14 of 20 subjects indicated that they preferred electornic dental anesthesia to local anesthetic injection. Electronic dental anesthesia appears to be an effective means of obtaining local anesthesia for certain dental procedures.

Infective endocarditis is a rare, serious, and sometimes fat heart disease that can be caused by bacteremia from the mouth, especially by Streptococcus viridans. As a result, dental procedures have often been blamed for cases of infective endocarditis, but poor oral health and hygiene may actually cause more cases of infective endocarditis than d o dental procedures. The American Heart Association and other groups have published recommendations for the prevention of infective endocarditis in dental patients and advise specific antibiotic regimens for certain dental procedures in cardiac-abnormal patients. The most recent (1990) American Heart Association recommendations are the most conservative yet, reflecting concern about the prevention of not only infective endocarditis, but also problems resulting from the antibiotics themselves. Clinicians should carefully consider not only the patient's medical history, but also the types of dental procedures planned.

A cantilevered adhesive prosthesis was designed for a patien whose maxillary right central incisor was extracted. The width of the edentulous space was much greater than the mesiodistal width of the lost tooth, impeding the construction of a conventional fixed partial denture. A much more conservative and esthetic result was achieved by the construction of a cantilevered adhesive prosthesis in which the extracted tooth was used as a pontic.

Several dentifrices are available in the market for the control of calculus, plaque, and gingivitis. The anticalculus activity of the pyrophosphate dentifrice formulation has been convincingly demonstrated. Recently, dentifrices containing 0.3% triclosan and 2.0% Gantrez have been shown to possess some anticalculus activity, in addition to their antiplaque and antigingivitis properties. Similarly, sequential application of sanguinarine-containing dentifrice with a brush, followed by a rinse of 30 to 60 seconds, also provides sustained antiplaque and antigingivitis effects. However, other dentifrices have had much less convincing clinical results. It is therefore important for dentists to interpret the therapeutic claims of various antiplaque and antigingivitis dentifrices cautiously before recommending these products to patients

This study compared the radiation dosage necessary for obtaining clinically acceptable images with a new dental imaging system (radiovisiography) to that required with a conventional-film radiographic technique. Results showed that radiovisiography required significantly less radiation exposure, only 22.3% of that used in the conventional technique. Problems, such as lack of flexibility and the limited size of the x-ray-sensitive surface, are associated with radiovisiography; however, the system effectively complements conventional-film radiography.

A newly developed prophylaxis paste that contains perlite as an abrasive medium (Cleanic) was compared to conventional prophylaxis pastes with regard to relative dentin and enamel abrasion, cleaning ability, and polishing power. Rubber cups and nylon brushes were used as paste carriers. Water, flour of pumice, and the dentin-polishing paste CCS 40 served as controls. The tested prophylaxis pastes, selected according to their popularity among clinicians, were CCS 250, Detartrine Z, Nupro Coarse, and Zircate. The Prophylaxis Paste Index was created to assess the clinical potential of the various prophylaxis pastes more accurately. The Index was computed for dentin as cleaning abil ity dended by relative dentin abrasion x surface roughness (in Ra) x 10, and for enamel as cleaning ability dended by relative enamel abrasion x surface abrasion (in Ra). On dentin and enamel, Cleanic consistently yielded low relative dentin and enamel abrasion values, a good cleaning ability, and low surface roughness scores with both rubber cups and nylon brushes. Of all tested prophylaxis pastes, Cleanic excelled in the Prophylaxis Paste Index on dentin and enamel and with both rubber cup and nylon brush applications. Therefore, a perlite-containing prophylaxis paste has broad professional therapeutic indications and may be used universally as a single paste to clean and polish both dentin and enamel.

Various sealing techniques using a light-curing dental adhesive (Scotchbond 2) and bulk application of a light-curing resin-bonded ceramic were examined in 203 Class II cavities. Different pretreatment procedures and lining materials were used, and in one series resin impregnation of the contraction gap was included. The presence of gaps or leakage was disclosed either by a dye or a fluorescent resin penetration technique. In many restorations, Scotchbond 2 and a light-curing glass-ionomer lining did not prevent gap formation at the cervical wall. The gap usually occurred between the liner and the dentin, with dye penetration into the dentin. Three liners, one containing polytrifluorethylene sodium fluoride and calcium fluoride, one containing polyamide resin, and one containing calcium hydroxide, did not prevent dye penetration to the dentin at all; good dentinal protection was frequently observed, however, in cavities treated with a hydrophilic shallac film prior to placement of a polystyrene liner. The best results were observed when dentinal treatment with this lining system was followed by resin impregnation of the contraction gap after the composite resin had set.

The fracture strengths of amalgam and composite resin cores retained by three types of intradentinal retentive features were compared with the fracture strength of cores retained by four self-threaded retentive pins. Composite resin cores had significantly greater resistance to fracture than amalgam cores with any of the retentive features. The fracture strength of amalgam cores retained by retentive pins was comparable to that of amalgam cores retained by a post with a countersink, but significantly higher than the strength of those retained by slots or channels. The fracture strength of composite resin cores retained by retentive pins was significantly higher than that of composite resin cores retained by any of the alternative intradentinal retentive features.