Technical quality of root fillings performed by undergraduate students: a radiographic study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiographic technical quality of endodontic treatment performed by undergraduate students at the School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic records of 220 patients treated by final-year undergraduate students during the school year 2011/2012 were examined, and the final sample consisted of 212 patients, 322 teeth, and 565 root canals. The criteria for overall radiographic adequacy of root canal fillings were defined as the presence of adequate length and density and absence of iatrogenic errors (ledge, fractured instrument, untreated canal, and apical transportation). Chi-square test was used to determine statistical significance between different parameters. RESULTS: Adequate root canal fillings were found in 74.22% of the teeth. The percentage of root fillings with adequate length and density was 89.73% and 92.6%, respectively. Fractured instruments and ledges were present in 16 root canals (2.8%), while the presence of missed canal and apical transportation was observed in 2 cases, each (0.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the technical quality of root canal fillings performed by undergraduate students was satisfactory.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in injecting drug users--a 5-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Hepatitic C infection (HCV) is a systemic, generalised disease with the prevalence of inflammation in the liver. The aim of this study was to determine the success of treatment for chronic hepatitis C with pegilated interferon alfa 2a and ribavirin in injecting drug users. METHODS: This a 5-year follow-up study included 30 patients [63.3% men and 36.7% women, average age 30.2 years (SD 7.1 years)] injecting drug users in one-year abstinence, with chronic hepatitis C, treated with the pegilated interferon alpha 2a and ribavirin. Complete history with possible route of infection, the standard biochemical tests, liver biopsy, quantification of the viral genome in sera and HCV genotyping and subtyping were done prior to the therapy initiation. Depending on the HCV genotype, the therapy was conducted over a period of 48 weeks for genotype 1 and 24 weeks for genotype non 1. Five years later all 30 patients were invited on control examination; 22 of them appeared at the check-up and quantification of the viral genome in their sera were analized. RESULTS: The established degree of liver fibrosis was: F0 in 40%, F1 in 23.33%, F2 in 26.67%, F3 in 3.33% and F4 in 6.67% of the patients. Genotype 3a was dominant (50.0%), 1b was registered in 40.0%, 1a in 6.66% and 2b in 3.33% of the patients. Sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved in 86.7% of the patients, 10.0% of the patients were non-responders, while 3.33% of them revealed recurrence of HCV. Opiate abuse recurrence during antiviral therapy happened in 6.7% of the patients. Five years after the antiviral therapy 73.3% of the patients appeared at the check-up and all of them were in stable abstinence from opiate abuse. All of those, with a sustained viral response of five-year duration, had the negative PCR HCV RNA test (< 50 IU ml(-1)). In the patients showing unsatisfactory therapy response 5 years before, antiviral therapy was repeated by the same therapeutic regimen, but without adequate therapeutic response. A total of 26.7% of the patients were lost from the records. CONCLUSION: In a 5-year follow-up period 73.3% of the patients used to come regularly to check-ups and among them neither the opiate abuse recurrence nor HCV infection recurrence were registered.