Comparative Evaluation of New Needleless Local Anesthetic System (INJEX) and Conventional Syringe Needle Technique during Pulpotomy Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The dreaded sensation of pain in the dental chair has a significant impact on children's behavior. This study aimed to compare and contrast the perception of pain and patient behavior between the use of INJEX and the conventional syringe needle technique during pulpotomy among children. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was designed and conducted among pediatric dentistry patients aged 6-12 years old. Fifty-eight children were divided into two groups, conventional syringe needle and INJEX, using simple randomization method applying the sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelope method of allocation concealment. Anesthesia was administered to the groups as local infiltration by a single operator following routine behavior guidance techniques. After 3 min, pulpotomy was performed using the standard protocol. The Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale and Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBS) were used to assess the intensity of pain, while the Frankl behavior rating scale (FBRS) was used to assess the children's behavior. RESULTS: During anesthesia, most of the participants in the INJEX group (median = 3) had higher FBRS scores compared with the conventional syringe needle group (median = 2), and the difference was very highly significant (p-value < 0.001). Analyzing the FLACC scores during local anesthesia administration revealed a high statistical significance (p-value < 0.01) across the two groups. A very high statistically significant difference (p-values < 0.001) with higher WBS scores for pain intensity was seen in the group using conventional syringe needles. CONCLUSIONS: INJEX administration significantly reduced the intensity of pain experienced by the children and helped maintain a positive attitude among them during pulpotomy. It provided a positive and comfortable experience for both the child and the practitioner. Therefore, it can serve as an excellent alternative to conventional needle anesthesia.

Comparative evaluation of volumetric changes between two pediatric rotary files (Kedo-S plus, Kedo-SG blue) and manual files (hand K-files) during canal preparation of primary mandibular molars: an in-vitro nano-CT analysis.

Pediatric endodontics has become popular due to advancements in cleaning, shaping and irrigation systems, resulting in faster and effective removal of infected pulp, saving time, and creating a pathogen-free environment. The patented rotary file system, Kedo-S, designed for primary teeth, introduced a single file generation for efficient pulp therapy. However, there are currently no studies assessing canal preparation in primary mandibular molars using nano-CT (computed Tomography). To evaluate the volumetric changes of two recently introduced pediatric rotary file systems in comparison with conventional hand file systems in primary mandibular molar using an ultra-high resolution nano-CT. This in-vitro study was performed in extracted primary mandibular molar based on certain inclusion and exclusion criteria. Samples were prepared and working length was determined before the pre-operative scan using a high resolution nano-CT device (SkyScan 2214, Bruker, Kontich, Belgium). A single well-experienced pediatric dentist prepared the canals using three file systems: Kedo-S plus, Kedo-SG blue and Hand K-files. A post-operative scan was performed similar to pre-operative scan. Image reconstruction was performed with NRecon software for 3D volumetric visualization and analysis of the root canals. Kedo-SG blue file systems had the highest mean difference in the canal volume (8.85%). Hand K-files had the least difference at (1.24%) of canal volume. Kedo-S plus file system had a mean canal volume difference (6.14%) which is closer to hand K-files. Rotary file systems resulted in a significant enlargement of canals compared to hand files.

A systematic review assessing the dental pulp stone prevalence in the Saudi Arabian population.

This Systematic Review (SR) was to report on the prevalence of pulp stones in the Saudi Arabian (KSA) population. The electronic databases were searched for scientific research articles during May 2021. The data search was performed in electronic search engines like PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, and Saudi Digital Library, and 6 original research articles which fulfilled the eligibility criteria were assessed for qualitative data. The prevalence of pulp stones among the KSA population ranged from 4.6% to 50.93% among the study participants and it ranged between 10.2%-13.34% in the teeth assessed. The pulp stones were more frequently reported in decayed teeth, periodontal diseases, attrition, teeth with dental restorations, and higher in the molar teeth in comparison with the premolar teeth. The data on the prevalence of pulp stones among the Saudi population will be helpful for clinicians in planning endodontic procedures.

Knowledge and Attitude of Undergraduate Students and Interns toward Stem Cells and Their Implications in Dentistry: A Cross-sectional Study.

AIM: The primary ideology of this research was to evaluate both the knowledge and attitude of undergraduate students and interns regarding stem cells and their use in dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observatory study was conducted among 310 dental students of Jazan University by making use of a self-explanatory questionnaire, containing a set of 25 questions and was sent as e-mail through Google e-forms. RESULTS: There was a good response rate of around 81.2%, of which 80.16% were aware of the fact that stem cells are unspecialized types of cells that come with the potential to turn into any cell type. Almost 65.08% of the participants considered the possibility to continue root formation post-trauma as the fundamental use of stem cells, and a majority (71.43%) of the participants showed great interest in garnering more knowledge and training in the area of stem cells. About 50% of the participants showed strong opposition to the concept of embryonic stem cells as these are basically fetched from an aborted fetus or from an embryo. There was a major section of the participants (79.76%) who were even keen on organizing more programs to create public awareness regarding stem cells. Mean knowledge and attitude scores among the participants were reported to be 7.57 ± 3.10 and 36.04 ± 6.51 respectively. CONCLUSION: Overall, the level of knowledge and attitude of dental students and interns at Jazan University towards stem cells and their implications in dentistry can be interpreted as adequate. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Advanced training and awareness campaigns on stem cells and dentistry would improve their knowledge and attitude.