ABSTRACT
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Loupe magnification is a commonly utilized tool within dental education due to its proposed benefits of improving working posture, visual acuity, and procedural quality. Although procedural quality has been researched at the graduate level, literature encompassing the undergraduate level remains scarce. Therefore, this systematic review aims to critically assess the available literature to ascertain the effects of loupe magnification on the performance of undergraduate dental students' cavity preparations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE via Ovid, The Cochrane Library for Cochrane Reviews, and Scopus, to identify relevant studies published from inception to February 15, 2023. We included English language studies that evaluated the effect of loupe magnification on the performance of undergraduate dental students in cavity preparations. RESULTS: In total, six studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The outcomes assessed encompassed tooth preparation accuracy. Of these six articles, one was conducted on endodontic access cavity preparations, four on restorative cavity preparations, and one on nonstandard cavity preparation designs performed on acrylic blocs. Four articles determined that loupes positively impacted undergraduate students' performance in cavity preparations, while two articles established no significant difference in performance between loupes and naked-eye cavity preparations. CONCLUSION: This systematic review suggests that loupe magnification positively impacts undergraduate dental students' performance in cavity preparations. However, the heterogeneity of the studies and the variations in methodologies limit the ability to draw definitive conclusions.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of Odontopaste in reducing the microbial load in endodontics compared to other intracanal medicaments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature was electronically searched on PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Ovid Medline and Web of Science. In-vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo studies that evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of Odontopaste were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for In Vitro Studies. RESULTS: A total of four in-vitro studies were included in the systematic review. One study showed that Odontopaste had significantly more microbial cell growth on roots in all dentine depths compared to other medicaments or test agents. Another study found that Odontopaste significantly decreased colony-forming units compared to propolis and chlorhexidine. Further results showed that Odontopaste did not significantly decrease microbial numbers when used in isolation. Additionally, combining Odontopaste and calcium hydroxide did not enhance the effectiveness of calcium hydroxide. The studies had a medium to high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient high-quality evidence to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of Odontopaste compared to other intracanal medicaments. Further research is required to determine Odontopaste's efficacy as an antimicrobial medicament in endodontics.
ABSTRACT
The study was to assess the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on root canals contaminated by Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). PDT was performed with 0.005% methylene blue dye and with a low-intensity red emission laser. Microbiological samples were collected before, immediately and 72 hours after instrumentation. Although PDT performed with the chosen light parameters promoted additional microbial reduction, this therapy did not achieve a statistically significant reduction of E. faecalis.
