Radiographic Assessment of 121 Glass Fiber Post Procedures in 32 Patients Aged 21-60 Years Performed by 6th-Year Dental Students During the 2022-2023 Academic Year at the College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND The restoration of endodontically treated teeth (ETT) and severely damaged teeth has been a concern of clinicians. Glass Fiber Post (GFPs) combine the strength of carbon fiber posts with the esthetic appearance of glass to resemble natural dentin during dental restoration procedures. This radiographical study assessed the GFP carried out by students enrolled in the Clinical Comprehensive Course at the College of Dentistry, Jazan University. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 32 patients treated by 18 6th-year dental students with 121 GFPs were assessed in this cross-sectional radiographic study. The assessment covered tooth type, arch, post-to-root width, length of post in relation to the crown and root lengths, amount of remaining gutta percha (GP), and gap between GP and post. Data were analyzed using SPSS, and associations between variables were determined using the chi-square test. RESULTS Maxillary teeth were the most frequently restored with posts (88.4%) with most being (58.7%) anterior teeth, and 50.4% of posts had widths that were one-third that of the root. The percentage of posts was twice (71.1%) or equal to (26.4%) the crown length, whereas two-thirds of the tested GFPs were >5 mm of the remaining GP. Significant differences were observed in location and position of teeth with post width, post length in relation to crown or root length, and amount of remaining GP, with P values of 0.018, 0.000, and 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The assessed radiographs revealed that the performance of sixth year students in accomplishment GFP radiographically was satisfactory and within the values recommended in the literature.

Quantitative Assessment of Mechanical Allodynia and Central Sensitization in Endodontic Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Patients seeking endodontic treatment commonly present with reduced mechanical pain thresholds (ie, mechanical allodynia [MA]) in the offending teeth. In patients with moderate to severe pain, MA may manifest in the teeth contralateral to the offending teeth because of the onset of central sensitization (CS). We hypothesize that there are quantitative differences in MA and CS in patients with different pulp and periradicular diagnoses. METHODS: Patients (n = 70) receiving endodontic treatment in the graduate endodontic clinic at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and healthy volunteers (n = 10) were included in this cross-sectional study. The mechanical pain threshold from molar teeth was measured by a digital bite force transducer on the offending tooth (ipsilateral) and the contralateral tooth. Ipsi- and contralateral MA among different endodontic diagnoses were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn post hoc test and the Student t test for differences between sexes. Multivariate regression models analyzed predictors for MA and CS. RESULTS: Periradicular diagnoses of asymptomatic apical periodontitis, symptomatic apical periodontitis, and chronic apical abscess cases were significantly associated with MA. CS, seen as contralateral MA, was only detected in pulpal diagnosis of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, previously initiated treatment, symptomatic apical periodontitis, and chronic apical abscess. Females experienced significantly lower pain thresholds than males on both sides. MA and CS were significantly correlated in both sexes. The preoperative pain level and duration were significant predictors for MA and CS only in female patients. Lastly, age was a significant predictor for MA in females. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of MA and CS varied with different endodontic diagnoses, with CS being correlated with increases in MA. Only in female patients were age, preoperative pain duration, and intensity significant predictors for the development of MA and CS.