Application of personalized templates in minimally invasive management of coronal dens invaginatus: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Treating the coronal dens invaginatus (CDI) with pulp infection commonly involves the removal of invagination, which increases the risk of perforation and fracture, and compromises the tooth structure. Minimally invasive endodontic management of CDI is highly recommended. This report describes two cases of type II CDI with the application of personalized templates. CASE PRESENTATION: Two cases of type II CDI, affecting the main root canal in a maxillary canine and a lateral incisor, were diagnosed. A guided endodontics (GE) approach was applied. Cone-beam computed tomography and intraoral scans were imported and aligned in a virtual planning software to design debridement routes and templates. The MICRO principle (which involves the aspects of Mechanical (M) debridement, Irrigation (I), Access cavities (C), Rectilinear routes (R), and Obstruction (O)) was proposed for designing optimal debridement routes for future applications. The templates were innovatively personalized and designed to preserve the tooth structure maximally while effectively debriding the root canal. Root canal treatment with supplementary disinfection was then performed. The follow-up of the two patients revealed favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The GE approach could be a feasible method for preserving healthy dental structure while effectively debriding the root canal, thereby achieving successful and minimally invasive endodontic treatment for CDI.

New measure of functional tooth loss for successful Oral ageing: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study evaluated the impacts of functional tooth loss on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among elderly people compared with the impacts of several common indicators of oral health. Additionally, the cut-off of functional tooth loss needed for a better OHRQoL was investigated to establish a new measure for successful oral ageing. METHODS: Data from people aged 65-74 were extracted from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey in Sichuan, China. Functional tooth loss was defined as both natural tooth loss and nonfunctional teeth, such as third molars, residual roots, and removable dentures. The cut-offs of tooth loss were first identified as 12, based on the previous definition of functional dentition (≥20 natural teeth except the third molars), and 14, 16, or 18 for further investigation. OHRQoL was evaluated by the standardized Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (sGOHAI) score. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the impacts on OHRQoL. Additionally, subgroup analyses were conducted using the stratified chi-square test to explore the effect of functional tooth loss at each position. RESULTS: The mean GOHAI score of the 744 participants was 48.25 ± 7.62. Elderly people who had lost ≤12 functional teeth had greater odds of reporting a higher sGOHAI score than those who had lost more functional teeth (odds ratio (OR) 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.11). No significant difference in the sGOHAI score was detected between people who had lost 13-16 functional teeth and those who had lost ≤12 functional teeth (0.61, 0.35-1.07). The loss of second premolars and first and second molars had great impacts on the sGOHAI score when ≤12 or ≤ 16 functional teeth had been lost. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with natural tooth loss, functional dentition and occluding pairs, functional tooth loss can be a better indicator of OHRQoL in the elderly population. Sixteen remaining functional teeth seem to be sufficient to maintain good OHRQoL and successful oral ageing despite that number being previously acknowledged as ≥20 teeth.

The effects of oral health education regarding periodontal health on non-dental undergraduates in southwestern China-exploring the feasibility of an e-learning course for oral health promotion.

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of periodontal diseases is an important oral health problem worldwide. It is necessary to increase public knowledge on and influence attitudes towards periodontal diseases in order to prevent them. However, the effect of oral health education (OHE) as a primary preventive method in China is unsatisfactory. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of extending an e-learning course regarding periodontal health by comparing the effects of oral health education regarding periodontal health (OHE-PH) on dental and non-dental students and the effects between a traditional course and an e-learning course among non-dental students at Sichuan University. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and a post-test was performed. A total of 217 dental students and 134 non-dental students attended a traditional course; 69 non-dental students attended an e-learning course. Before- and after-course questionnaires about periodontal health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours were administered. RESULTS: After the traditional/e-learning course, the knowledge of both dental and non-dental students about periodontal diseases and self-reported behaviours for gingival bleeding and oral care improved. The non-dental students reached or surpassed the level of dental students before the course. The non-dental students taking the e-learning course performed better in some areas than those taking the traditional course. CONCLUSIONS: OHE-PH was effective for dental and non-dental students. The e-learning course on OHE-PH was sufficient for improving knowledge and self-reported behaviours among non-dental undergraduates and was even better than the traditional course in some areas. The e-learning course may be an effective method for periodontal health education and oral health promotion among undergraduates.

The Efficacy and Safety of a Herbal Toothpaste in Reducing Gingivitis: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Allocation Clinical Trial.

AIM: To examine the efficacy and safety of the toothpaste containing Rhizoma Chuanxiong and Rhizoma Imperatae extracts in reducing gingivitis. METHOD: A double-blind clinical trial was conducted, in which 120 volunteers were randomly assigned to the test group (N = 60) or the control group (N = 60). Tetramethylpyrazine, senkyunolide A, ferulic acid, and ligustilide are the main effective components of Rhizoma Chuanxiong and Rhizoma Imperatae contains the main components of cylindrin, carotene, 5-hydroxytryptamine, potassium, and calcium. The control group used placebo toothpaste containing neither Rhizoma Chuanxiong extract nor Rhizoma Imperatae extract. Plaque, gingivitis, and bleeding were assessed at the baseline, prior to the supragingival scaling, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: During the trial, both test and control groups showed a decreasing trend compared to the baseline. At the end of 12 weeks, with respect to Gingival Index (GI), Bleeding Index (BI), and Bleeding on Probing percentage (BOP%) scores, there were significant differences between test and control groups (GI, P<0.001, BI, P<0.001, and BOP%, P<0.001, resp.). After 4 weeks of usage, there were no statistically significant differences in all of GI, BI, and BOP% scores between the two groups. However, the decrease became statistically significant at next two intervals (GI, P<0.001, BI, P<0.001, and BOP%, P<0.001, resp.) in the efficiency of GI, BI, and BOP% which was 8.04%, 11.02%, and 37.16%, respectively. There were no treatment-related adverse events reported. CONCLUSION: The toothpaste containing Rhizoma Chuanxiong and Rhizoma Imperatae extracts was well tolerated and significantly reduced gingivitis and bleeding after usage for 12 weeks. There was better improvement at molars, and the more serious the baseline status was, the better the efficacy was.