Selective removal to soft dentine or selective removal to firm dentine for deep caries lesions in permanent posterior teeth: a randomized controlled clinical trial up to 2 years.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare selective removal to soft dentin (SRSD) and selective removal to firm dentin (SRFD) in permanent teeth. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the success rates of the two caries removal techniques. The secondary outcome of the study was to investigate whether or not calcium silicate-based material (CS) had an effect on the success rate of the treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between November 2018 and March 2020, patients with deep caries lesions were invited to participate in the study. Posterior teeth (N = 165) with primary caries lesion radiographically extending ¾ of dentin and positive response to cold test were randomly selected. A total of 134 participants meeting the inclusion criteria were randomized to SRSD and SRFD (control) groups. After the caries removal procedure, teeth with exposed pulps were assigned to the pulp exposure (PE) group, and the SRSD group was further divided into test 1 (with CS) and test 2 groups (without CS). Success was defined as a positive response to the cold test, a negative response to percussion, the absence of pain, an abscess, a fistula, and periapical alterations. Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact tests, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and the log-rank tests were performed for comparisons between groups. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between the success rates of test 1 (100%) and test 2 (93.5%) groups, whereas the proportion of success in control (82.4%) and PE (84%) groups were significantly lower when compared with test groups (p = 0.024; p < 0.05) at the end of 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: SRSD had a higher success rate when compared to SRFD to treat deep carious lesions after 2 years of follow-up. The use of CS material after SRSD as a liner had no effect on the treatment outcome. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: SRSD with good coronal sealing might be recommended without CS application for the treatment of deep caries lesions in permanent teeth. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registration number NCT04052685 (08/09/2019).

Relationship between the prevalence of soft tissue radiopacities on panoramic radiographs and medical conditions.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe radiographic characteristics and the prevalence of selected anatomical structures and soft tissue radiopacities on panoramic radiographs and their relationship to medical conditions. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with 814 consecutive patients aged 35-88 years and their panoramic radiographs. Soft tissue calcifications found in the mandibular angle area were recorded according to gender, age, and bilaterally. Patient medical records were reviewed for atherogenic risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic renal disease, menopause, drug usage and any other systemic condition. Data were analyzed with the χ2 test and Fisher's Exact test; P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among the 814 patients, a total of 74 (9.1%) calcified carotid artery atheromas (CCAA) were identified, of which 34 (4.17%), 40 (3.19%), and 14 (1.7%) were right, left, and bilateral, respectively. Orthopantomographic examination revealed triticeous cartilage (7.3%) in the cervical bifurcation region, asymptomatic styloid process elongation 192 (23.5%), tonsilloliths 27 (3.3%), sialoliths 37 (4.5%), calcified lymph nodes 46 (5.7%), impacted roots 109 (13.4%), and foreign radiopaque materials 23 (%2.8). There was a significant age and gender difference between type II diabetes and CCAA. A positive correlation was found between styloid process elongation and temporomandibular joint disorders and antidepressant use. CONCLUSIONS: Soft tissue radiopacities can be a validated risk indicator of cardiovascular events or misdiagnosed pain. Dental practitioners must be aware of these atypical findings as they may be related to serious disease states and may require referral for further investigation.

Comparative determination of skeletal maturity by hand-wrist radiograph, cephalometric radiograph and cone beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to assess the stages of skeletal maturity in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), hand-wrist radiography (HWR) and cephalometric radiography (CR) techniques of orthodontic patients, and associate skeletal maturity stages with chronological age, in a Turkish subpopulation. METHODS: Hand-wrist radiographs, cephalometric radiographs and CBCT of 105 patients were evaluated. For evaluation of HWR, the "Hand Bone Age A Digital Atlas of Skeletal Maturity" of Vicente Gilsanz and Osman Ratib (2005) was used. Skeletal maturation in the cephalometric radiographs and sagittal sections of cervical vertebrae obtained by CBCT were evaluated with Hassel and Farman's method (1995). All results were re-evaluated 3 weeks later to assess intra-observer reliability. RESULTS: Intra-observer reliability coefficients of the skeletal maturity stages in HWR, CR, and CBCT were 0.912, 0.595, 0.756 respectively (p < 0.05). Spearman's correlation coefficient value between skeletal developmental stages in in HWR, CR, and CBCT was found to be 0.785, 0.875, and 0.791, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Results of this study reveal that the determination of the skeletal development status with analysis of cervical vertebrae using cephalometric radiographs and CBCT is as reliable method as the evaluation of the hand-wrist radiographs and is compatible with chronological age in a subgroup of the Turkish population. When assessing the skeletal development stages of patients, both CBCT and CR can be used validly, so no extra hand-wrist radiography is required. This information is important for the prevention of increased radiation doses in patients.