ABSTRACT
Tribology is the discipline concerning the application of friction, lubrication, and wear concepts of interacting surfaces in relative motion. A growing interest has developed in tribology application in medical biomaterials, such as resin composites used in restorative dentistry. Yet, the keywords "tribology" and "biotribology" are little applied in the pertinent publications. The aim of this scoping review was to offer an overview of tribology application in dental composites research and to identify knowledge gaps and address future research. A literature search was conducted on Pubmed and Scopus databases and the studies investigating the tribological behavior of resin composites were included for qualitative synthesis. The majority of studies on dental tribology were published in the research areas of mechanical engineering/nanotechnology and differed in several methodological aspects. The preponderant engineering approach and the lack of standardized testing make the laboratory findings poorly informative for clinicians. Future research should focus on the tribological behavior of dental materials composites by means of an integrated approach, i.e., engineering and clinical, for improving development and advancement in this field of research.
ABSTRACT
Dens invaginatus (DI) is one of the most common developmental anomalies observed in maxillary lateral incisors. An early diagnosis requires thorough clinical knowledge, advanced radiographic evaluation as well as the use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and dental operating microscope (DOM), dictates the successful endodontic management of such teeth. A total of 7 cases with (DI) in maxillary lateral incisors were collected from dental practitioners worldwide, analysed and reported in the present case series. Our aim was to analyse and understand the various morphological patterns of DI in maxillary lateral incisors with their varied treatment protocols employed worldwide. This article illustrates the aberrant morphological patterns and the diverse treatment protocols followed by the clinicians worldwide. The use of biomaterials enhances post-operative healing. Further, a modification in the existing classification has been proposed in this report which would enable the clinicians to easily diagnose, categorise and effectively manage DI. The different treatment protocols employed for the management of DI has been discussed and the use of CBCT and DOM in identifying and managing the anatomical variation of DI were emphasised.