Managing a Complex Crown Fracture in 1892 - Treatment Highlights within Current Contemporary Practices.

Historically, many teeth that had been traumatized resulted in extractions and replacements with a fixed partial denture (bridge). However, in rare situations some clinicians provided creative approaches to tooth retention much like what is done today, 125 years later.

Fractured Tooth Stabilized with Auto Body Repair Resin on a 1970 Royal Navy Polaris Submarine Patrol.

INTRODUCTION: In February 1970, halfway through a Polaris submarine war patrol in SSBN-02 HMS Renown (port crew), a Petty Officer presented to the sick bay in excruciating pain with a broken upper left molar tooth. The zinc oxide/clove oil mixture would not stick on to the vertical face of the fracture. In preparation for such events, Royal Navy (RN) submarine medical officers are taught excellent fundamental dental skills. In this case, it seemed a very difficult job to extract the remains of the tooth. The author reports the first known use of glass fiber/resin in the RN to crown and treat a fractured molar, cover the root, and save the tooth, and to recommend that all military and civilian medical staff working anywhere in isolation with no dental facility locally be given similar training to that which RN submarine medical officers receive before being sent on extended dives.Brooks CJ. Fractured tooth stabilized with auto body repair resin on a 1970 Royal Navy Polaris submarine patrol. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(2):135-138.

Use of high resolution computed tomography to diagnose ante-mortem dental root fractures in archaeological samples.

Dental root fractures are rarely documented in past human populations, but when they are observed, diagnosing ante-mortem events as causal factors can be difficult due to postmortem alteration. Can high resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) improve our ability to diagnose if a dental fracture was caused ante- or post-mortem? To test this, a case study of two individuals with previously diagnosed dental root fractures were re-examined with high resolution CT to confirm or refute the original diagnoses. For individual 4170, use of high resolution CT supported the original diagnosis of an ante-mortem root fracture on the right mandibular central incisor that was made based on planar X-ray. With the new analyses, the root fracture was found to be associated with evidence of calcification, and with radicular and alveolar bone resorption, which are positive correlates of an ante-mortem origin. Resolving this level of detail of bone modification was not possible without using high resolution CT. For individual 4172, the use of high resolution CT enabled visualisation of fracturing and cracking throughout several molars and crowns of other teeth that were not evident in planar X-ray, suggesting that these fractures were likely produced by post-mortem taphonomic processes rather than ante-mortem events as originally diagnosed. In this case study, high resolution CT offered critical advantages compared to a planar X-ray approach, such as using 3D multiple slice views without superimposing alveolar bone and teeth as in planar X-ray imaging. This study demonstrates the potential of high resolution CT in confirming and refuting ante-mortem processes, and that visualisation of 3D structures is crucial for arriving at definitive diagnoses.

Healing responses following transverse root fracture: a historical review and case reports showing healing with (a) calcified tissue and (b) dense fibrous connective tissue.

BACKGROUND: The understanding and management of transverse intra-alveolar root fractures has evolved to its current high level of sophistication and clinical success from foundations laid down by histological studies as early as the mid-nineteenth century. SIGNIFICANCE: The aim of the review was to highlight those earlier histological reports and studies that have contributed to the current understanding of the biological processes involved in the healing of transverse root fractures. Healing of a transverse root fracture by calcified tissue was demonstrated histologically by Howe in 1926, while Boulger in 1928 showed the two other patterns of root fracture healing, namely the interposition of fibrous connective tissue and the interposition of bone and periodontal ligament around both fractured segments. Other major histological reports around that time came from members of the so-called 'The Vienna group of Illinois', who had a significant influence in the development of oral biology worldwide. Other important reports and an experimental study emanated from Germany and Switzerland in the late 30s and early 40s, followed in the 1950s and early 1960s by histological material principally from Sweden, Denmark, France, the USA and Britain. Jens Andreasen and Erik Hjörting-Hansen's landmark paper in 1967 included new histological reports and a classification of healing responses following transverse root fractures. The expansion of knowledge related to root fractures since that time has been exponential, with major contributions from Scandinavia and several other countries. CASE REPORTS: Accompanying the historical review are two case reports with histology of root fracture healing by (a) calcified tissue and (b) dense fibrous connective tissue. The role of the pulp and the periodontal ligament in the repair process is described and the clinical significance discussed with particular emphasis to diagnosis and orthodontic management.

St Apollonia's tooth--a relic in the cathedral treasury in Rab (Croatia).

AIM: To anatomically identify and describe the changes on the tooth of St Apollonia which is kept as a relic in Rab (Croatia). SOURCES AND METHODS: Reviewing relevant literature, macroscopic examination of the tooth in the reliquary, photographing and further examining the enlarged photos. RESULTS: The tooth in question is the first upper right premolar. Observed pathological change is type II enamel lesion, i.e. cervical or gingival caries. Other discovered characteristics are enamel fracture on the distoaproximal surface, shallow fracture on the occlusal third of the crown and two enamel formations, a cluster of smooth and shiny enamel surfaces. CONCLUSION: Attention is drawn to a relic that was previously virtually unknown. It is presented how important this relic is for Christian and ethnomedical tradition. Additionally, anatomical determination and the description of pathoanatomical changes are used to affirm the anthropological approach as one of the prerequisites in the attempt to scientifically evaluate the relic phenomenon.

[Changing approaches to traumatic injuries to primary and permanent teeth based on the reports published in 'Fogorvosi Szemle' in the past 100 years]. / A tej- és maradó fogak baleseti sérüléseivel kapcsolatos szemléltváltozás jellemzôi a Fogorvosi Szemlében 100 év alatt megjelent közlemények alapján.

Most of the external forces hitting the body (automobile injuries, sport injuries, job accidents, falls, hits and fights) reach the head, and especially the oral and maxillofacial region. Statistics show the head is injured in more than 70 per cent of car accidents. The incidence of head injuries, specifically tooth injuries, is high among both infancy and school children. Authors give a review about the changing approaches of treatment principles in the reports published in the Hungarian dental journal 'Fogorvosi Szemle' in the past 100 years, and how today's modern treatment trends have evolved.

Terrible accidents during tooth extraction in the earlier days of dentistry.

In the earlier days of dentistry, patients suffered terrible tortures and accidents at the hands of untrained individuals who attempted to extract the sufferer's teeth. Even as dental knowledge and skill advanced, there were still numerous untoward occurrences during extractions, some of them resulting in the death of the patient. The article ends with the recounting of a near-fatal case that was in no way the dentist's fault and could not have been prevented.

A forensic dental determination of serial killings by three African lions.

Forensic dentistry's role in solving homicide cases is not limited to victim and other human identifications. This science also can apply to perpetrators, human as well as animal, and can clarify historical incidents that occurred many years ago. In two cases more than 90 years apart, three African lions were jointly responsible for the killing of 141 humans for food, replacing their normal animal prey. A thorough dental analysis identified pathologies that may have forced the cats to select slower and less troublesome prey (humans) over their traditional food sources. The uncanny ability of these lions to avoid traps, ambushes, and gunfire while they continued to prey on so many well-armed and forewarned men remains unexplained.

[Mouth diseases in a prehistoric agricultural population of northeastern North America]. / Pathologies buccales d'une population agricole préhistorique du nord-est américain.

There is no longer any question that the consumption of refined sugar is a factor in the development of dental caries. In fact, researchers now believe that the production of refined sugar and, particularly, its great availability and use in post-industrial populations has led to a virtual revolution in both the food industry and buccopathology. Clinical and epidemiological studies on the relationship between caries and sugar consumption have been conducted for more than 40 years, and the harmful effects of sugar consumption on the development of dental caries are now well known. Some authors have also demonstrated a historical relationship between caries and sugar over the last three centuries. Another food revolution that had an equally great impact on oral health occurred with the introduction of agriculture. This innovation is discussed from both a technical and food perspective. Agriculture modified the diet of ancient populations by providing new foods that were rich in carbohydrates and by introducing new cooking methods (food was now often boiled instead of being roasted). These two factors alone contributed to an increased rate of dental caries, but at the same time reduced the abrasion of occlusal surfaces and dental crowns. This paper documents the relationship between dental caries, occlusal abrasion, fractures and periodontal disorders, as well as the agriculture practises of an Amerindian population that lived between 1000 and 1500 A.D. in parts of what are now New York State, Quebec and Ontario. The author's findings confirm those of many other researchers who have investigated agricultural populations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Traumatic injuries of prehistoric teeth: new evidence from Baluchistan and Punjab Provinces, Pakistan.

Traumatic lesions of the dentition are rarely reported, while skeletal trauma constitutes a significant portion of the paleopathology literature. The purpose of this paper is to show how meticulous analysis of traumatic dental lesions can provide insights into patterns of behavior in prehistory. Two cases of dental trauma from prehistoric Pakistan illustrate some crucial problems in diagnosing the etiology of traumatic lesions. Bio-behavioral insights derived from the analysis of dental trauma compliment inferences gleaned from more traditional approaches, including the study of dental attrition and dental morphology.