Quintessence International, 07/1994

Treatment failures appear to occur more frequently in periodontology than in other dental disciplines. Inappropraite patient selection, incomplete diagnostic procedures, errors in diagnosis or prognosis, treatment difficulties, unsupervised healing, and the absence of maintenance therapy may be causes of such failures. A regular recall program can largely prevent such failures.

In some patients, primary molars with no permanent successor can be retained for an indefinite time; however, if occlusal relationships necessitate intraocclusal augmentation, cast ceramic onlays can provide an excellent solution. This paper reports the case of a teenager in whom two cast ceramic onlays were bonded with resin to retained mandibular primary molars, to create an esthetic and functional occlusion.

The resin-bonded fixed partial denture is a conservative option for the replacement of a missing tooth. It has a good prognosis and offers several advantages over a conventional fixed partial denture. However, it does not allow for placement of a provisional fixed partial denture. In some situations, it is important to provide some type of interim treatment. This can be accomplished by several techniques, that include placement of either a remo.vable or bonded replacement tooth. The provisional treatment can provide an esthetic solution and maintain tooth position while the fixed partial detnure is being made by the dental laboratory.

The construction of crowns for teeth that will serve as abutment teeth for removable partial dentures is an important and technically demanding procedure. The preparation of the tooth itself must include provision for the components and path of placement of the removable partial denture and at the same time conform to all the parameters associated with proper tooth preparation. Some of the factors unique to surveyed crowns that must be considered include the position of the tooth in relation to the proposed occlusal plane with the removable partial denture, the type of facial and lingual tooth contours desired for the direct retainer, the size and suitability of existing restorations, and the proposed path of placement and removal of the removable partial denture relative to the orientation of the abutment tooth as well as to other adjacent teeth if the abutment also is to be used as a fixed partial denture retainer. The design requirements for the removable partial denture must be determined before treatment is initiated, to account for all of these factors.

This study evaluated the acute pulpal healing response following preparation, etching, and sealing of the prepared vi tal dentin with a 4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride (4-META) bonding system. Adult monkey teeth received crown preparations with chamfer margins, prepared with a diamond used at ultra high speed with water cooling. Vital dentin was etched with 10% citric acid-3% ferric chloride, rinsed, and sealed with the 4-META system. A provisional crown was formed with a low-viscosity light-curing adhesive resin. Teeth were fixed and evaluated histopathologically. Pulpal responses at 3 days showed only minimal disruption of the odontoblastic zone. At 7 days, the pulps presented reorganizing odontoblastoid cells, and, at 10 days, the pulps shoed new odontoblastoid cells with a thin rim of reparative dentin. Pulps of crown preparations that were etched and then sealed with the 4-META system presented healing patterns similar to those of pulps associated with Class V preparations lined with calcium hydroxide, observed in (previous) similar studies.

This article describes the use of an activator appliance to treat a Class II, division 1, malocclusion in a child in the mixed-dentition phase. The correction of Class II, division 1, malocclusions can be achieved by careful case sele ction of a motivated patient with a favorable growth pattern.

The decline in caries prevalence and a greater emphasis on preventive measures and oral hygiene have led to a reconsideration of the classic parameters proposed by Black for cavity preparation. Through a case report, the rationale and the technique for conservative amalgam restoration of interproximal lesions (the slot restoration) are discussed.

Class V cavities were prepared in 20 vital teeth and 10 extracted teeth. For all the restorations, glass-ionomer cement was used as a liner at the base of the cavity. The cavity was then restored with a microfilled composite resin. A fter the extraction of the vital teeth, all specimens were sectioned and tested for marginal microinfiltration of 2% methylene blue dye. The teeth restored in vivo showed no signs of infiltration between the dentin and the glass-ionomer liner. The dye penetrated between the liner and the composite resin in five in vivo restorations. The in vitro restorations dye was present between the dentin and the liner. Examination of replicas unde r the scanning electron microscope revealed no gaps between the glass-ionomer cement and the dentin in the in vivo specimens, while gaps of various sizes were present in the in vitro replicas. Glass-ionomer cement was able to bond to dentin when used as a liner in vital teeth but not when used in extracted teeth. This can be attirbuted to the presence of a partially humid environment in vivo that favors the application porcess. In vitro, specimens are to a large extent dehydrated.

This article reports the effect of conditioning of dentinal surfaces on the sealing capability of a light-curing glass-ionomer restorative material, Fuji II LC. The in vitro evaluation measured gap formation at the tooth-restoration interface. The control specimens were restored with Fuji II LC after dentinal surface treatment with a polyacrylic acid solution, while the experimental specimens were restored without pretreatment. The sealing ability of the material to dentin was assessed by measuring the gap between the restorative material and tooth structure. The control group registered a mean marginal gap of 7.75 um, and the experimental group registered a mean gap of 10.75 um, but statistical analysis indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups. Dentinal surface treatment prior to restoration with the light-curing glass-ionomer cement used in this study resulted in a smaller gap at the dentin-restoration interface, but this difference was not significant.

The logo is a powerful marketing tool. It is a condensed form of communication for a selected niche in a mass audience. Effective logo design principles include considerations of art design, visual perception, memory retention, and succinct nonverbal communication. Design principles for logos for dental practices are presented. Dental practices may realize significant advantages if logos are properly conceived and executed and are creatively implemented.