Pulp chamber temperature increase from curing light units: an in vitro study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare temperature rises in the pulp chamber induced by halogen, plasma arc, and conventional light-emitting diode (LED) curing units with that induced via a new generation LED-curing unit (VALO) in extra power mode. METHODS: A Class I cavity was prepared on the occlusal surface of 80 extracted caries- free mandibular third molars, which were filled with a microhybrid composite. A thermocouple wire was inserted into the pulp chamber of each tooth to measure temperature changes. RESULTS: The greatest temperature increases were observed during polymerization of composite resin with a halogen curing unit (3.2 degrees Celsius), followed by plasma arc curing (2.07 degrees Celsius) and VALO curing (1.44 degrees Celsius); the lowest temperature rise was with conventional LED curing (1.01 degrees Celsius). CONCLUSION: There were no statistically significant differences between conventional LED and VALO curing in extra power mode regarding pulp chamber temperature increases when polymerizing composite resin.

Dental age assessment for different climatic regions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of several aspects of climate, such as temperature and altitude, on dental maturation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total sample consisted of 944 panoramic radiographs (473 Turkish children from Central Anatolia [228 girls and 245 boys] and 471 Turkish children from Eastern Anatolia [222 girls and 249 boys]). The children aged between 7.0 and 14.9 years. The radiographs were randomly selected from 2 cities in Turkey, Kayseri and Erzurum. Independent t tests and paired t tests were performed to compare sex, location, and age to determine the relationships between tooth developments. RESULTS: The Central Anatolian children were approximately 0.2 to 3.0 years more advanced in dental maturity than the Eastern Anatolian subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The development standards proposed by Demirjian are affected by climatic factors. However, further research and detailed information to gather data are needed.