Microleakage of composite and two types of glass ionomer restorations with saliva contamination at different steps.

PURPOSE: This study's purpose was to evaluate microleakage of two types of glass ionomer (GI) and composite restorations with saliva contamination at different stages of restorative procedures. METHODS: Extracted teeth with Class V cavities were restored with a conventional GI, nanofilled RMGI, or total-etched composite. The preparations were contaminated with saliva before the adhesive/primer application or before the restoration placement (N=10). The restored teeth were thermocycled (1000X), stained (basic fuchsin), and sectioned. Microleakage distance was measured and subjected to analysis of variance and Duncan's post-hoc test (P=.05). RESULTS: For the enamel margin, no significant difference was found between the conventional GI and composite restoration, with or without saliva contamination (P>.05). The nanofilled RMGI with contamination before restoration had the highest microleakage. For the cementum margin, composite had significantly more microleakage than both types of GI restorations, regardless of saliva contamination. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional and resin-modified glass ionomer restorations had less cementum microleakage, while the composite had less enamel microleakage. Saliva contamination did not affect microleakage of the conventional GI at either enamel or cementum margins. The nanofilled RMGI system was not sensitive to saliva contamination at the gingival margin, but had increased microleakage at the enamel margin, especially after the primer application.

Dental education in a flat world: advocating for increased global collaboration and standardization.

Globalization is a broad term referring to the increasing connectivity, integration, and interdependence of economies, societies, technologies, cultures, and political and ecological spheres across the world. This position paper was developed by a working group of the 2007 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute. The authors explore the effect that globalization has had on dentistry and dental education to date and hypothesize what dental education could look like in the years ahead. While the paper is written from a North American perspective, some of the authors bring international expertise and experience to the topic of global dental education in a flat world. Specific issues and barriers addressed in this position paper include variations in accreditation and licensure requirements in dental education throughout the world; the historical development of dental education models (odontology and stomatology) and the need for congruency of these models in the global environment; the competency-based model of education and its relevance to development and implementation of global dental competencies; and the slow adoption of technological advances in dental education for promoting collaborations and encouraging resource sharing among countries. These challenges are discussed as they affect the implementation of a standardized global dental education that can lead to improved access to oral health care services and better oral and overall health for the citizens of the world.

When should children have their first dental visit?

In summary, the goals of infant oral health care are to: Break the cycle of early childhood caries; Disrupt the acquisition of harmful microflora; Manage the risk/benefit of habits; Establish a dental home for health or harm; Impart optimal fluoride protection; and Use anticipatory guidance to arm parents in the therapeutic alliance.