Origins of the Electronic Apex Locator - Achieving Success with Strict Adherence to Business.

Current history would have you believe that the evolution and development of the electronic apex locator for use during root canal procedures emanated from the work of Suzuki in 1942, which was developed as a product by Sunada in 1962. Yes, this is partly correct, however the concept of using electrical means to locate the ends of root canals was brought to the dental profession as early as 1918 by Dr. Levitt Ellsworth Custer, which was not addressed until Suzuki revisited Custer's concepts. This contribution was only one of the many that Custer proffered as he championed the use of electricity in dentistry.

Finding Small Root Canals.

One of the main reasons for failure of teeth that have been root treated is the inability to locate and clean canals that are very small or not identified by the clinician. In contemporary practice the use of dyes, such as methylene blue, or magnificatin, such as the microscope are used rotinely in these situations to find the canal orifice in the pulp chamber. Prior to this, other more aggressive methods have been used, such as that identified in 1920.

Historical perspectives on the roots of the apical negative pressure irrigation technique in endodontics.

The removal of the infectious process caused by an abscess in the periapical tissues was a challenge to dentists in the early part of the 20th century. While they recognized the need to debride the periapical tissues, the process was slow, tedious, and often fraught with failure that resulted in tooth extraction. However, with some creative ingenuity, an irrigation-suction apparatus was developed in the 1930s that enabled rapid and thorough debridement. This appliance went through multiple developmental permutations and was successful in achieving the desired goal. Interestingly, while the purpose of this device was a controlled periapical debridement through the root canal, and not necessarily a focus on a cleaning of the intricacies of the root canal system, the basic concept purported was similar to contemporary approaches used in root canal debridement today.

[Changes in the therapy of pulpal diseases and periapical lesions according to the articles published in the journal Fogorvosi Szemle during the past 100 years (1908-2008)]. / A fogbélbetegségek és a fogbél következményes betegségeinek terápiájában (gyökérkezelés) bekövetkezett változások 100 éve a Fogorvosi Szemle közlemenyeinek tükrében (1908-2008).

Present review makes an attempt to summarize the Hungarian endodontic literature of pulpal and periodontal diseases, published during the past 100 years. The experimental examinations and clinical studies make it possible to follow the changes in the methods and in the medicines, used in the field of pulpal treatment. The overview gives us information about the problem of disinfection, shaping, measuring, and obturation of root canal.

[110th year Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Tandheelkunde. 2. Root canal treatment, intra-canal disinfectants and bacterial culture: past and present]. / 110e jaargang NTvT 2. De wortelkanaalbehandeling met medicamenten en de bacteriekweek: toen en nu.

Fifty years ago the Dutch Journal of Dentistry published methods and opinions concerning root canal treatment. Qualitative bacterial culture, inclusion of aggressive disinfectants, as well as antibiotics and widening of the apical constriction were carried out. Nowadays, because of several reasons, these are not clinical practice anymore. Controversy over the clinical consequences of bacterial presence in tubules and in the peri-apical area prevailed in the past and seem to be prevalent once again.