Evaluation of senior dental students' general attitude towards the use of rubber dam: a survey among two dental schools.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general attitude of senior dental students towards rubber dam use, specifically focusing on endodontic practices prior to starting to serve community. Questionnaires were distributed to senior year students of a private school and a state school in Istanbul. Questions were asked about areas where the students used rubber dam, its advantages and difficulties, and whether they agreed or disagreed with some aspects of the rubber dam. The private school students rated isolation whereas those of the state school selected prevention of aspiration which the top advantage rubber dam provides. Students of the state school agreed with the opinion that isolation cannot be achieved without rubber dam and it extended the procedure with a significantly higher ratio compared to the private school. Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that the perceptions of dental students on rubber dam needs to be improved and strategies should be developed so that this valuable adjunct will comprise one of the indispensable elements of dental care.

Intraradicular splinting of a horizontally fractured central incisor: a case report.

This case report presents the endodontic management of a horizontally fractured right incisor involving healing with granulation tissue using an intraradicular splinting technique. We also discuss the spontaneous healing of the fractured left central incisor with calcified tissue. A composite resin splint was made for all of the upper anterior teeth. The root canal of the right incisor was temporarily filled with calcium hydroxide slurry. The intraradicular splinting involved placing a file in the canal. Sealer was introduced into the canal and then a no. 110 K file was fixed in the canal with polycarboxylate cement. The tooth was asymptomatic and the composite splint was removed after 1 month. The right incisor appeared normal clinically and radiographically at the 30-month recall. This case demonstrates that intraradicular splinting can be used to manage horizontally fractured teeth with necrotic and mobile coronal segment.

Delayed multidisciplinary management of an extrusively luxated maxillary central incisor.

This paper reports a case of delayed (1 month after the injury) multidisciplinary management of an extrusively luxated permanent central incisor. The extruded tooth was diagnosed as necrotic without coronal discoloration. Upon completion of root canal treatment, the tooth was repositioned orthodontically and finally restored for esthetic purposes with a composite resin. The tooth was diagnosed as normal in the 1 year check-up.

Dens invaginatus in an immature maxillary lateral incisor: a case report of complex endodontic treatment.

This case report presents the surgical endodontic treatment of an Oehlers Class II invaginated immature tooth. In this case, communication between the invagination and the pulp caused pulp necrosis, periapical inflammation, and cessation of root formation. The initial treatment goal was to achieve apexification and then fill both the root canal and the canal of the invagination. After a 6-month treatment with calcium hydroxide dressings, there was no healing radiographically and no sign of a hard tissue barrier in the apex. Periapical surgery with the placement of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) root-end filling was deemed successful at the 1-year recall. To treat dens invaginatus, both conventional and surgical endodontic treatment techniques should be considered. In dens invaginatus, conventional endodontic treatment modalities may be unsuccessful because of inadequate debridement and disinfection; however, subsequent periapical surgery and retrofilling with MTA may promote healing.