Exploring approaches to pulp vitality assessment: A scoping review of nontraditional methods.

INTRODUCTION: Diagnostic procedures for pulp vitality assessment are a crucial aspect of routine dental practice. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of nontraditional techniques and methodologies for assessing pulp vitality, specifically exploring promising approaches that are currently not used in dental practice. METHODS: The study protocol was registered a priori (https://osf.io/3m97z/). An extensive electronic search was conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Inclusion criteria were guided by the research question based on the PCC model as follows: "What are the potential nontraditional techniques (Concept) for assessing pulp vitality (Population) in the field of endodontics or clinical practice (Context)?" Studies were included that explored possible approaches to pulp vitality assessment, utilizing a range of techniques, whilst any studies using traditional pulp tests (cold, heat, and electric stimulation) or well-known methods (pulse oximetry and laser Doppler flowmetry) were excluded. Reviewers independently screened articles and extracted data. A patent search was also performed. RESULTS: Of 3062 studies, 65 were included that described nontraditional approaches for assessing pulp vitality. These included a range of optical diagnostic methods, ultrasound Doppler flowmetry (UDF), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), terahertz imaging, tooth temperature measurements, as well as invasive methodologies, including 133xenon washout, radioisotope-labelled tracers, hydrogen gas desaturation, intravital microscopy and fluorescent microspheres isotope clearance. The patent search included artificial intelligence and biomarkers methods. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides details for potential innovative tests that may directly describe pulp vitality. Importantly, these methods range from clinically impractical through to promising methods that may transform clinical practice. Several nontraditional techniques have the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and could provide valuable insights into the assessment of pulp vitality in challenging clinical scenarios.

Deep learning in the diagnosis of maxillary sinus diseases: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of deep learning (DL) in the detection, classification, and segmentation of maxillary sinus diseases. METHODS: An electronic search was conducted by two reviewers on databases including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and IEEE. All English papers published no later than February 7, 2024, were evaluated. Studies related to DL for diagnosing maxillary sinus diseases were also searched in journals manually. RESULTS: Fourteen of 1167 studies were eligible according to the inclusion criteria. All studies trained DL models based on radiographic images. Six studies applied to detection tasks, one focused on classification, two segmented lesions, and five studies made a combination of two types of DL models. The accuracy of the DL algorithms ranged from 75.7% to 99.7%, and the area under curves (AUC) varied between 0.7 and 0.997. CONCLUSION: DL can accurately deal with the tasks of diagnosing maxillary sinus diseases. Students, residents, and dentists could be assisted by DL algorithms to diagnose and make rational decisions on implant treatment related to maxillary sinuses.

Simultaneous Detection of Two Extracellular Vesicle Subpopulations in Saliva Assisting Tumor T Staging of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), acting as important mediators of intercellular communication, play an essential role in physiological processes, which have unique potential in the medical field. However, the heterogeneity of EVs limits their development for disease diagnosis and therapy, making the EV subpopulation analysis extremely valuable. In this article, a simple microfluidic approach was presented for the on-chip specific isolation and detection of two phenotypes of EVs (Annexin V+ EGFR+ EVs and Annexin V- EGFR+ EVs) based on different biomolecule-modified magnetic nanospheres and a fluorescence labeling technique. Combined with the control of the magnetic field in the microzone and fluid flow, it was easy to form two separate functional regions in the chip to capture different EV subpopulations. This method was successfully applied to the tests of clinical saliva samples in 75 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and 10 healthy people. The results showed that the total level of EGFR+ EVs was much higher in OSCC patients that in healthy people. Meantime, the ratio of Annexin V+ EGFR+ EVs to Annexin V- EGFR+ EVs was found to be negatively correlated with tumor T stage of OSCC patients with a statistical difference, which suggested the ratio as a clinical index for monitoring the progression of OSCC in real time based on a noninvasive method. The approach provided a novel idea for evaluating the tumor T stage of OSCC and a powerful tool for clinical application.

The application of lasers in vital pulp therapy: a review of histological effects.

Vital pulp therapy (VPT) is primarily intended to preserve the vitality of pulp tissues, which have been exposed for any reason. Various materials and techniques have been proposed to improve treatment outcomes, including the use of lasers. This study aimed to review the histological results of different dental lasers including low-level lasers, carbon dioxide (CO2), erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser (Er:YAG), neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG), erbium, chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) lasers, and diode lasers for VPT. This focused review included a comprehensive electronic search of Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from 2000 to 2022 by two independent investigators. Different combinations of keywords were used, and reference mining of related papers was done. The review included studies related to histologic evaluation of laser-assisted vital pulp therapy that stated the laser parameters that were used. Articles with radiographic or clinical assessments or articles lacking necessary data were excluded. Non-English articles were excluded unless their abstract was in English and encompassed the necessary data. Most studies indicated the efficacy of lasers for reduction of inflammation, acceleration of healing, and increasing the thickness of dentinal bridge. According to the evidence, lasers used in combination with pulp capping agents are beneficial to enhance the success rate of VPT.

A pilot study on the use of a novel digital real-time evaluation system in undergraduate preclinical training of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics.

INTRODUCTION: In the light of the digital teaching, it is necessary that the effectiveness of a new digital real-time evaluation system in the preclinical training of tooth preparation be evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty undergraduate dental students of the fourth year were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group to complete the training task of tooth preparation for porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crown restoring the upper right central incisor. The control students received conventional training with instructor's guidance. The experimental students received training with the digital system without instructor's guidance. Every student exercised preparation in two resin incisors in 3 h training by respective training methods. A third incisor was prepared on a dental model in the simulated head phantom by each student as the test on the next day. All students' tooth preparations were scored by the same two experienced experts. The experimental students were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding their attitudes and opinions on the digital evaluation system in preclinical training. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the scores of the experimental group and the control group (p > .05). The students of two groups obtained the similar scores in the test (p > .05). Most of the students were supportive of the application of digital training system in the preclinical tooth preparation training course. CONCLUSIONS: The digital real-time evaluation system could provide effective training effects for the dental undergraduate students in the preclinical training of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics.

The protective role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in osteogenic differentiation under inflammatory environment.

Inflammation and alveolar bone destruction constitute the main pathological process of periodontitis. However, the molecular mechanisms of bone destruction under the inflammation environment remain unclear. This study aims to explore the role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in osteogenic differentiation under the inflammation environment. Mouse pre-osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 were pretreated with lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg-LPS). The Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling was activated, and the osteogenic differentiation of cells was examined. The results showed that activation of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling promoted the expression levels of osteogenic differentiation-related genes, and also relieved the inhibitory effect of Pg-LPS on osteogenesis. Noticeably, the effect of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling might be related to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. While applying Ephrin-B2-Fc and EphB4-Fc to periodontitis mice, we observed the reduction of alveolar crest destruction. The current study revealed the possible role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in reducing bone destruction in periodontitis and suggested its potential values for further research.

Finite element analysis of maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule restored with fiber-reinforced composite resin posts and resin core: The number and placement of the posts.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Whether fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts should be inserted in root canals to restore teeth with multiple roots remains unclear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this finite element analysis (FEA) study was to determine the optimal use of FRC posts in an endodontically treated maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight different models of a maxillary first molar were established: no post (NP), post in palatal root (P), post in distobuccal root (DB), post in mesiobuccal root (MB), posts in palatal root and distobuccal root (P+DB), posts in palatal root and mesiobuccal root (P+MB), posts in 2 buccal roots (DB+MB), and posts in all roots (P+DB+MB). Two types of loading were applied: a force of 800 N parallel to the long axis of the tooth to simulate the vertical masticatory force and another force of 225 N at 45 degrees to the long axis of the tooth to simulate the lateral masticatory force. The equivalent stresses on the external surfaces of the tooth tissue, the internal surfaces of the root canals and in the posts, as well as the maximal shear stresses on the post-core interface and the core-dentin interface, were calculated with FEA. RESULTS: All the models showed similar maximal equivalent stress values on the external surfaces of the tooth tissue, and stress concentrations were found at the cervical and furcation area. On the internal surfaces of root canals, an increase of equivalent stress at the middle third of the canals with posts and a decrease at the cervical third were observed. Under vertical loading, the P+DB+MB group showed the largest equivalent stress in the post (76.45 MPa in the palatal post), the DB+MB group showed the largest shear stress on the post-core interface (19.02 MPa), and the MB group showed the largest shear stress on the core-dentin interface (12.07 MPa). Under lateral loading, the P+DB+MB group showed the largest equivalent stress in the post (60.11 MPa in the mesiobuccal post) and the largest shear stress on the post-core interface (13.48 MPa) and the DB group showed the largest shear stress on the core-dentin interface (21.03 MPa). CONCLUSIONS: One post in the palatal canal was found to be appropriate for the FRC post and resin core restoration of a maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule. An additional post in the mesiobuccal canal could help disperse lateral occlusal force and improve retention of the restoration.

Development of a fluorescent probe for detecting Al3+ in cooked wheaten food based on phosphonic acid group functionalized polythiophene derivatives.

As an unnecessary trace element, the content of aluminium in biological systems should be strictly controlled. Therefore, it was necessary to develop a convenient method for detection of aluminium ions. In this study, a fluorescent probe based on polythiophene derivatives was developed and used to detect Al3+ in Chinese traditional pasta. The fluorescence of this probe showed a significant decrease in hexamethylenetetramine-HCl buffer solution (pH 5) when Al3+ was present. In addition, the probe exhibited good sensitivity and selectivity to Al3+ over other metal ions when EDTA was used as the masking agent. Fluorescence intensity had a good linear relationship with the Al3+ concentration in the range 0.1-10 µM and the limit of detection for Al3+ was 39 nM. Furthermore, the probe was successfully applied to detect Al3+ in food samples and the results were consistent with ICP-AES.

Evaluation of influence factors on the width, length, and width to length ratio of the maxillary central incisor: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze whether symmetry of left and right sides, gender, measuring method, and ethnicity have influences on width (W), length (L), and width to length ratio (W/L) of the maxillary central incisor (MCI) and provide a reference for dental treatment planning in the esthetic zone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was conduct of the dental literature. Studies reporting data about measurements were included. Data were extracted and analyzed for the differences between left and right, male and female, different measuring methods, and ethnicities by Review Manager and Stata statistical software. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included. There were no differences between measurement of the left and right groups, perceived and actual measuring groups. However, differences were found between genders in MCI's W and L but no difference in W/L. Differences were also found between Asians and Caucasian subjects in MCI's W, L, and W/L. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that symmetry of left and right sides and measuring method do not influence MCI dimension. Gender and ethnicity are found as influence factors for MCI dimension. We believe these findings can be helpful for dentists to decide and design the dimensions of the restorations for maxillary anterior teeth in clinical practices. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In the process of designing maxillary anterior teeth for implantation, the contralateral MCI can be helpful to create a symmetrical esthetic restoration. For patients with maxillary anterior tooth loss or diastemas, dentists should divide the left and right space equally and keep the MCI contact area aligned with the midline. Dentists should take face size and gender into consideration when making treatment plans for the MCI. Facial parameters as well as the size ratios of the previous teeth can be evaluated and may influence the size and shape of the teeth. When measuring anterior teeth or facial dimensions for esthetic evaluation, the recommended method is to measure the perceived sizes of a facial view image created by a digital camera. Slight discrepancies may exist between the actual and measured values due to the curvature of the arch and the angle in which the photograph was taken.

The application of individualized abutment-crown integrated provisional restoration in optimizing the peri-implant soft tissue contour in the esthetic zone.

OBJECTIVE: This article introduced a modified method to fabricate an individualized abutment-crown integrated provisional restoration for single-tooth implant restoration in the esthetic zone, which created a satisfactory peri-implant soft tissue architecture. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Three months after the implant placement, the individualized abutment-crown integrated provisional restoration was designed and fabricated in the laboratory, by referring to the profile of natural contra-lateral tooth digitally, and seated on the implant afterwards. The peri-implant soft tissue architecture was evaluated and the Pink Esthetic Score (PES) was recorded. The provisional restoration stayed on the implant for 3 months until the individualized definitive ceramic abutment and crown were fixed on the implant. CONCLUSIONS: This protocol provided an alternative solution for shaping the peri-implant soft tissue morphology in the esthetic zone by using an individualized abutment-crown integrated provisional restoration and showed promising effect on the esthetics of anterior single-tooth implant restoration. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The individualized abutment-crown integrated provisional restoration whose emergence profile mirroring that of the natural contra-lateral tooth, was designed with the help of computer-aided design-manufacture (CAD/CAM). It may help shaping the peri-implant soft tissue in the esthetic zone with merits of saving amount of hand labor of technicians as well as clinicians, and reducing the visits of patients.

Preoperative Antisepsis with Chlorhexidine Versus Povidone-Iodine for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chlorhexidine (CH) and povidone-iodine (PI) are the most commonly used preoperative skin antiseptics at present. However, the prevention of the surgical site infection (SSI) and the incidence of skin adverse events do not reach a consistent statement and conclusion. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative surgical site infection and the incidence of corresponding skin adverse events. METHOD: Substantial studies related to "skin antiseptic" and "surgical site infection" were consulted on PUBMED, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CNKI. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative SSI. The secondary outcome was associated with skin adverse events. All data were analyzed with Revman 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 30 studies were included, including 29,006 participants. This study revealed that chlorhexidine was superior to povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative SSI (risk ratio [RR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.77; p < 0.00001, I2 = 57%). Further subgroup analysis showed that chlorhexidine was superior to povidone-iodine in the prevention of postoperative SSI in clean surgery (risk ratio [RR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.98; p = 0.03), I2 = 28%) and clean-contaminated surgery (risk ratio [RR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47-0.73; p < 0.00001, I2 = 43%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of skin adverse events between CH and PI groups. CONCLUSION: Chlorhexidine was superior to povidone-iodine in preventing postoperative SSI, especially for the clean-contaminated surgery. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of skin adverse events between CH and PI groups.

Magnetic Chip Based Extracorporeal Circulation: A New Tool for Circulating Tumor Cell in Vivo Detection.

In vivo detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which inspect all of the circulating blood in body seems to have more advantages on cell capture, especially in earlier cancer diagnosis. Herein, based on in vivo microfluidic chip detection system (IV-chip-system), an extracorporeal circulation was constructed to effectively detect and monitor CTCs in vivo. Combined with microfluidic chip and immunomagnetic nanosphere (IMN), this system not only acts as a window for CTC monitoring but also serves as a collector for further cancer diagnosis and research on CTCs. Compared with the current in vivo detection method, this system can capture and detect CTCs in the bloodstream without any pretreatments, and it also has a higher CTC capture efficiency. It is worth mentioning that this system is stable and biocompatible without any irreversible damage to living animals. Taking use of this system, the mimicked CTC cleanup process in the blood vessel is monitored, which may open new insights in cancer research and early cancer diagnosis.

Electrospinning of silica nanoparticles-entrapped nanofibers for sustained gentamicin release.

Sustained antibiotic release is important to prevent the infections after surgical treatments such as guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Electrospinning provides a simple way to fabricate nanofibers for drug delivery. In this study, a simple method to achieve sustained antibiotic release by introducing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs)with electrospinning is developed. The nanoparticles entrapped nanofibers (MSNs-PCL) were successfully fabricated, and a sustained release of gentamicin was demonstrated. The gentamicin loaded MSNs-PCL showed strong antimicrobial effects against E. coli, indicated the sustained release behavior and the retained bioactivity. The MSNs-PCL synthesized by electrospinning method shows great potential for biomedical applications such as fabricating GTR membranes.

Detecting Single-Molecule Dynamics on Lipid Membranes with Quenchers-in-a-Liposome FRET.

Tracking membrane-interacting molecules and visualizing their conformational dynamics are key to understanding their functions. It is, however, challenging to accurately probe the positions of a molecule relative to a membrane. Herein, a single-molecule method, termed LipoFRET, is reported to assess interplay between molecules and liposomes. It takes advantage of FRET between a single fluorophore attached to a biomolecule and many quenchers in a liposome. This method was used to characterize interactions between α-synuclein (α-syn) and membranes. These results revealed that the N-terminus of α-syn inserts into the membrane and spontaneously transitions between different depths. In contrast, the C-terminal tail of α-syn is regulated by calcium ions and floats in solution in two conformations. LipoFRET is a powerful tool to investigate membrane-interacting biomolecules with sub-nanometer precision at the single-molecule level.

Evaluation of Outcomes of Dental Implants Inserted by Flapless or Flapped Procedure: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the failure risk and marginal bone loss of dental implants inserted by flapless or flapped procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library within 10 years, along with a hand search of the reference lists of the retrieved articles. RESULTS: A total of 2717 articles were filtered after the searching strategy, and 31 studies were finally selected. Failure rate of dental implants was statistically affected by different insertion procedures (flapless or flapped) with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-2.55; P = 0.01; heterogeneity: I = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.97). Subgroup analysis indicated that in the situation of immediate/early loading, the flapless procedure showed a higher risk of implant failure comparing with flapped procedure (RR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.05-4.78; P = 0.04; heterogeneity: I = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.91). Mean difference of marginal bone loss between the flapless group and the flapped group was -0.10 mm (95% CI: -0.18 to -0.02; P = 0.02; heterogeneity: I = 82%; P heterogeneity = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that flapless procedure may increase the failure risk of the dental implants, especially in the situation of immediate/early loading. Nevertheless, flapless procedure showed a superiority in preserving bone tissues.

Asymmetric Silica Nanoparticles with Tunable Head-Tail Structures Enhance Hemocompatibility and Maturation of Immune Cells.

Asymmetric mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with controllable head-tail structures have been successfully synthesized. The head particle type is tunable (solid or porous), and the tail has dendritic large pores. The tail length and tail coverage on head particles are adjustable. Compared to spherical silica nanoparticles with a solid structure (Stöber spheres) or large-pore symmetrical MSNs with fully covered tails, asymmetrical head-tail MSNs (HTMSNs) show superior hemocompatibility due to reduced membrane deformation of red blood cells and decreased level of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, compared to Stöber spheres, asymmetrical HTMSNs exhibit a higher level of uptake and in vitro maturation of immune cells including dendritic cells and macrophage. This study has provided a new family of nanocarriers with potential applications in vaccine development and immunotherapy.

Immediate dental implant placement into infected vs. non-infected sockets: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was aimed at assessing whether immediate dental implant placement into infected vs. non-infected sites produced different effects on implant failure risk and marginal bone loss. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching articles in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library through February 2015 and by reviewing the reference lists of the retrieved articles. When an intervention led to dichotomous outcomes, the outcomes were expressed as risk ratios, whereas continuous outcomes were expressed as mean differences in millimeters; each had a 95% confidence interval. Study-specific estimates were combined using fixed-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 1743 articles were identified following the search process. Seven studies were finally included in the meta-analysis, which comprised a total of 1586 implants and 25 failures. Compared to the immediate insertion of a dental implant into a non-infected site, the insertion of an implant into an infected site showed 116% increase in the risk of implant failure, which had borderline statistical significance (risk ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.97, 4.80, P = 0.058; heterogeneity: I2  = 0.0%, Pheterogeneity  = 0.997). With regard to marginal bone loss, we observed no statistically significant difference between insertions into infected vs. non-infected sites (mean difference = -0.04, 95% confidence interval: -0.09, 0.02, P = 0.173, heterogeneity: I2  = 0.0%, Pheterogeneity  = 0.765). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that immediately placing a dental implant into an infected site may increase the risk of implant failure. Given the presence of uncontrolled confounders in the studies that were assessed, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Application of artificial intelligence in dental implant prognosis: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this scoping review was to evaluate the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the prognosis of dental implants. DATA: Studies that analyzed the performance of AI models in the prediction of implant prognosis based on medical records or radiographic images. Quality assessment was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies. SOURCES: This scoping review included studies published in English up to October 2023 in MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. A manual search was also performed. STUDY SELECTION: Of 892 studies, full-text analysis was conducted in 36 studies. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Eight used deep learning models, 3 applied traditional machine learning algorithms, and 1 study combined both types. The performance was quantified using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1 score, and receiver operating characteristic area under curves (ROC AUC). The prognostic accuracy was analyzed and ranged from 70 % to 96.13 %. CONCLUSIONS: AI is a promising tool in evaluating implant prognosis, but further enhancements are required. Additional radiographic and clinical data are needed to improve AI performance in implant prognosis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: AI can predict the prognosis of dental implants based on radiographic images or medical records. As a result, clinicians can receive predicted implant prognosis with the assistance of AI before implant placement and make informed decisions.

Application of Nanomaterials in Endodontics.

Recent advancements in nanotechnology have introduced a myriad of potential applications in dentistry, with nanomaterials playing an increasing role in endodontics. These nanomaterials exhibit distinctive mechanical and chemical properties, rendering them suitable for various dental applications in endodontics, including obturating materials, sealers, retro-filling agents, and root-repair materials. Certain nanomaterials demonstrate versatile functionalities in endodontics, such as antimicrobial properties that bolster the eradication of bacteria within root canals during endodontic procedures. Moreover, they offer promise in drug delivery, facilitating targeted and controlled release of therapeutic agents to enhance tissue regeneration and repair, which can be used for endodontic tissue repair or regeneration. This review outlines the diverse applications of nanomaterials in endodontics, encompassing endodontic medicaments, irrigants, obturating materials, sealers, retro-filling agents, root-repair materials, as well as pulpal repair and regeneration. The integration of nanomaterials into endodontics stands poised to revolutionize treatment methodologies, presenting substantial potential advancements in the field. Our review aims to provide guidance for the effective translation of nanotechnologies into endodontic practice, serving as an invaluable resource for researchers, clinicians, and professionals in the fields of materials science and dentistry.

Osteogenic effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on peri-implant bone: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on promoting osseointegration around dental implants.Study selection A comprehensive search was performed on two databases, including MEDLINE (PubMed) and Web of Science to identify relevant studies published before June 1, 2022. Randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. The year of publication, study design, animal species, number of animals, number of implants, implant position, implant size, intervention, follow-up time, bone volume ratio (BV/TV), bone-implant contact ratio (BIC), and implant removal torque value (RTV) measurements, including mean and SD, were extracted.Results Ten randomized trials were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that LIPUS significantly promoted osteogenesis around dental implants. Furthermore, in animal models of pre-existing diseases such as osteoporosis and diabetes, LIPUS had the same effect. The included data were divided into subgroups to explore the effects of different follow-up time, acoustic intensities, and frequencies. Results showed that higher acoustic intensities and frequencies significantly improve the osteogenic effects of LIPUS. There was some degree of heterogeneity owing to bias in the included studies. More high-quality randomized controlled trials are necessary in the future.Conclusions LIPUS can promote bone healing around dental implants and is an attractive option for edentulous patients, especially those with pre-existing diseases. Further clinical trials on the use of LIPUS in implant dentistry are warranted. Furthermore, future studies must pay more attention to acoustic intensity and frequency.