Teaching dental pain with and without underlying oral physiology: learning implications.

This study investigated whether teaching undergraduate dental students the diagnosis and management of acute dental pain alongside the underpinning oral physiology helped them to understand the topic better than teaching them acute dental pain as a separate entity. Each of three clinical years of dental students at the same dental school was taught in two groups. Each group was taught the signs/symptoms of five acute dental pain conditions by the same member of the staff. However, the teaching for one group of students in each year reminded the students about the physiology that underpinned the clinical symptoms. One week later, the students completed an open-ended questionnaire that required them to list signs/symptoms of the five dental pain conditions. For each year of dental students that was examined, the mean student marks were significantly higher (p<0.05) for those who were taught dental pain and the underlying physiology compared with students who were only taught dental pain as a stand-alone subject. This suggests that integrating biomedical science and clinical teaching is beneficial.

Denture cleansers, soft lining materials and water temperature: what is the effect?

AIM: To investigate the effect of water temperature, in association with four denture cleansers, on the colour and surface roughness of five soft lining materials. METHOD: Two silicone soft lining materials (Molloplast B and Sofreliner) represented the heat-cured, laboratory-based and chairside materials that are available. The wide range of chairside, acrylic resin-based, temporary soft lining materials was represented by Coe-Soft, Viscogel and Eversoft. An alkaline hypochlorite (Dentural) and three effervescent peroxide solutions with a range of active pH values (Steradent Active Plus, pH 6; Steradent Extra Strength, pH 3; Superdrug Fresh, pH 11) were selected as the cleansers. The denture cleansers were used at two temperatures: 55 degrees C (manufacturers' recommended temperature) and 80 degrees C. The colour of the specimens was evaluated using a colorimeter and the surface roughness was assessed using a three-dimensional, non-contact surface profilometer. This study reported on the effect of using both the higher temperatures and the recommended temperature on the colour and roughness of permanent and temporary soft lining materials. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the temperature of the water used with denture cleansers might have a detrimental effect on the colour and surface roughness of some permanent and temporary soft lining materials.

Knoop hardness depth profiles and compressive strength of selected dental composites polymerized with halogen and LED light curing technologies.

After the first light-emitting diode (LED) light curing units (LCUs) became available commercially, a comparison of mechanical properties between materials polymerized with conventional halogen lamps and this new technology was required. This study, therefore, investigated the curing performance of two conventional commercial halogen LCUs (Translux CL, Spectrum800), a custom-made LED LCU prototype, and one of the first commercially available LED LCUs (LUXoMAX). The Spectrum800 was adjusted to a similar irradiance to the custom-made LED LCU prototype. Both technologies were compared by measuring compressive strength and Knoop hardness depth profiles for selected dental composites polymerized for 20 or 40 s. Four dental composites (Z100, Spectrum TPH, Solitaire2, and Definite) were used. Two of these composites (Solitaire2 and Definite) contain co-initiators in addition to the standard photoinitiator camphorquinone. In general, the material hardness obtained with the LUXoMAX was statistically significantly (p < 0.05) lower at the depths of 0.1, 1.0, 1.9, and 3.1 mm, for all composites and curing times, than for the other three LCUs. The LED LCU prototype achieved, with one exception, up to a depth of 1.9 mm a material hardness for the composites Z100, Spectrum TPH and Solitaire2 that was not statistically significant different (p < 0.05) from the hardness obtained with the halogen LCUs. At a greater depth (3.1 mm), however, the LED LCU prototype showed statistically significantly lower hardness values than the halogen units. The compressive strength test showed at a 95% confidence level that similar compressive strengths were achieved with the LCUs LUXoMAX and Spectrum800, and the Translux and LED LCU prototype.

Mechanical properties and radiopacity of experimental glass-silica-metal hybrid composites.

OBJECTIVES: Experimental glass-silica-metal hybrid composites (polycomposites) were developed and tested mechanically and radiographically in this fundamental pilot study. To determine whether mechanical properties of a glass-silica filled two-paste dental composite based on a Bis-GMA/polyglycol dimethacrylate blend could be improved through the incorporation of titanium (Ti) particles (particle size ranging from 1 to 3 microm) or silver-tin-copper (Ag-Sn-Cu) particles (particle size ranging from 1 to 50 microm) we measured the diametral tensile strength, fracture toughness and radiopacity of five composites. METHODS: The five materials were: I, the original unmodified composite (control group); II, as group I but containing 5% (wt/wt) of Ti particles; III, as group II but with Ti particles treated with 4-methacryloyloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride (4-META) to promote Ti-resin bonding; IV, as group I but containing 5% (wt/wt) of Ag-Sn-Cu particles; and V, as group IV but with the metal particles treated with 4-META. Ten specimens of each group were tested in a standard diametral tensile strength test and a fracture toughness test using a single-edge notched sample design and five specimens of each group were tested using a radiopacity test. RESULTS: The diametral tensile strength increased statistically significantly after incorporation of Ti treated with 4-META, as tested by ANOVA (P=0.004) and Fisher's LSD test. A statistically significant increase of fracture toughness was observed between the control group and groups II, III and V as tested by ANOVA (P=0.003) and Fisher's LSD test. All other groups showed no statistically significant increase in diametral tensile strength and fracture toughness respectively when compared to their control groups. No statistically significant increase in radiopacity was found between the control group and the Ti filled composite, whereas a statistically significant increase in radiopacity was found between the control group and the Ag-Sn-Cu filled composite as tested by ANOVA (P=0.000) and Fisher's LSD procedure. SIGNIFICANCE: The introduction of titanium and silver-tin-copper fillers has potential as added components in composites to provide increased mechanical strength and radiopacity, for example for use in core materials.

Some variables influencing the bond strength between PMMA and a silicone denture lining material.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of roughening the denture base surface on the tensile and shear bond strengths of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) resilient lining material (Molloplast-B) bonded to a heat-cured acrylic resin denture base material. These measured bond strengths were compared to those obtained by packing the soft lining material against poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) denture base acrylic resin dough. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups of 10 specimens each were constructed for both tensile and shear tests. In the first group, Molloplast-B was packed against cured PMMA denture base surface. In the second group, Molloplast-B was packed against cured PMMA denture base whose surface had been roughened with an acrylic bur. In a third group, Molloplast-B was packed against PMMA denture base acrylic resin dough. RESULTS: Molloplast-B exhibited significantly higher tensile and shear bond strengths when packed against acrylic resin dough. Roughening the denture base surface prior to the application of Molloplast-B had a statistically significant weakening effect on tensile bond strength compared with the smooth surface and the acrylic resin dough. For the shear bond strength, roughening the surface produced a nonsignificant increase compared with the smooth surface, but the bond was weaker than when packed against acrylic resin dough. CONCLUSION: Significant differences in tensile and shear bond strength were recorded between the three methods used to bond Molloplast-B to denture base material.