This double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated the ability of a desensitizing agent and a self-etch adhesive on cervical dentin sensitivity (CDS) after periodontal surgery.

Ninety hypersensitive teeth of 13 subjects were included in the study. After periodontal surgery, the teeth of each posterior sextant treated with one of the following materials: G1: Clearfil S³ Bond (Kuraray Dental), G2: Gluma Desensitizer (Heraeus Kulzer), and G3: placebo (water). The sensitivity was assessed using evaporative stimuli before treatment (baseline, T0), 1 day after treatment (T1), after 1 week (T2), and after 1 month (T3) according to visual analog scale (VAS).

Following the treatment, all the 3 groups showed significant reduction of CDS in T1 compared to T0. Reduction of CDS between T1 and T2 was observed only in G1 but there was no significant difference between T2 and T3 in this group. Although we observed a significant difference in T3 compared to T1 and T2 in G2 and G3, comparison of treatment groups in each assessment time showed a significant difference only in T3. According to paired comparison, this was due to the difference between G2 and G3.

Dentin sensitivity following periodontal surgery will decrease spontaneously over time, but treating the sensitive teeth with Gluma Desensitizer and Clearfil S³ Bond can have some benefits.

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and biological properties of fast-set white mineral trioxide aggregate (FS WMTA), which was WMTA combined with calcium chloride dihydrate (CaCl₂·2H₂O), compared to that of WMTA.

Surface morphology, elemental, and phase analysis were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The cytotoxicity and cell attachment properties were evaluated on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPLFs) using methyl-thiazol-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assay and under SEM after 24 and 72 hours, respectively.

Results showed that the addition of CaCl₂·2H₂O to WMTA affected the surface morphology and chemical composition. Although FS WMTA exhibited a non-cytotoxic profile, the cell viability values of this combination were lesser than WMTA, and the difference was significant in 7 out of 10 concentrations at the 2 time intervals (p < 0.05). HPLFs adhered over the surface of WMTA and at the interface, after 24 hours of incubation. After 72 hours, there were increased numbers of HPLFs with prominent cytoplasmic processes. Similar findings were observed with FS WMTA, but the cells were not as confluent as with WMTA.

The addition of CaCl₂·2H₂O to WMTA affected its chemical properties. The favorable biological profile of FS WMTA towards HPLFs may have a potential impact on its clinical application for repair of perforation defects.

This in vitro study evaluated the effect of dentin biomodifiers on the immediate and long-term bond strengths of a simplified etch and rinse adhesive to dentin.

Flat coronal dentin surfaces were prepared in 120 extracted human molars. Teeth were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 24) according to 5 different surface pre-treatments: No pre-treatment (control); 1M carbodiimide (EDC); 0.1% epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG); 2% minocycline (MI); 10% sodium ascorbate (SA). After surface pre-treatment, adhesive (Adper Single Bond 2 [SB], 3M ESPE) was applied. Composite was applied into transparent plastic tubes (2.5 mm in diameter), which was placed over the bonded dentin surface. From each group, 10 samples were subjected to shear bond strength (SBS) evaluation at 24 hours (immediate) and remaining 10 samples were tested after 6 months (delayed). Additionally, 4 samples per group were subjected to scanning electron microscopic analysis for observation of resin-dentin interface. The data were statistically analysed with Shaperio‑Wilk W test, 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post hoc Tukey's test.

At 24 hours, SBS of all surface pre-treatment groups were comparable with the control group, with significant differences found between EDC and SA groups only (p = 0.009). After 6 months storage, EDC, EGCG, and MI pre-treatments preserved the resin-dentin bond strength with no significant fall.

Dentin pre-treatment with all the dentin biomodifiers except SA resulted in significant preservation of resin-dentin bond over 6 months storage period, without negatively affecting the immediate bond strength of the etch and rinse adhesive tested.

The aim of this in vivo study was to assess the accuracy of 2 third-generation electronic apex locators (EALs), Propex II (Dentsply Maillefer) and Root ZX II (J. Morita), and radiographic technique for locating the major foramen (MF).

Thirty-two premolars with single canals that required extraction were included. Following anesthesia, access, and initial canal preparation with size 10 and 15 K-flex files and SX and S1 rotary ProTaper files, the canals were irrigated with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite. The length of the root canal was verified 3 times for each tooth using the 2 apex locators and once using the radiographic technique. Teeth were extracted and the actual WL was determined using size 15 K-files under a × 25 magnification. The Biostat 4.0 program (AnalystSoft Inc.) was used for comparing the direct measurements with those obtained using radiographic technique and the apex locators. Pearson's correlation analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for statistical analyses.

The measurements obtained using the visual method exhibited the strongest correlation with Root ZX II (r = 0.94), followed by Propex II (r = 0.90) and Ingle's technique (r = 0.81; p < 0.001). Descriptive statistics using ANOVA (Tukey's post hoc test) revealed significant differences between the radiographic measurements and both EALs measurements (p < 0.05).

Both EALs presented similar accuracy that was higher than that of the radiographic measurements obtained with Ingle's technique. Our results suggest that the use of these EALs for MF location is more accurate than the use of radiographic measurements.

To determine the combined effect of fatigue cyclic loading and thermocycling (CLTC) on the shear bond strength (SBS) of a resin cement to zirconia surfaces that were previously air-abraded with aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) particles at different pressures.

Seventy-two cuboid zirconia specimens were prepared and randomly assigned to 3 groups according to the air-abrasion pressures (1, 2, and 2.8 bar), and each group was further divided into 2 groups depending on aging parameters (n = 12). Panavia F 2.0 was placed on pre-conditioned zirconia surfaces, and SBS testing was performed either after 24 hours or 10,000 fatigue cycles (cyclic loading) and 5,000 thermocycles. Non-contact profilometry was used to measure surface roughness. Failure modes were evaluated under optical and scanning electron microscopy. The data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance and χ² tests (α = 0.05).

The 2.8 bar group showed significantly higher surface roughness compared to the 1 bar group (p < 0.05). The interaction between pressure and time/cycling was not significant on SBS, and pressure did not have a significant effect either. SBS was significantly higher (p = 0.006) for 24 hours storage compared to CLTC. The 2 bar-CLTC group presented significantly higher percentage of pre-test failure during fatigue compared to the other groups. Mixed-failure mode was more frequent than adhesive failure.

CLTC significantly decreased the SBS values regardless of the air-abrasion pressure used.

The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of various nickel-titanium (NiTi) files with similar tapers and cross-sectional areas depending on whether they were surface-treated.

Three NiTi file systems with a similar convex triangular cross-section and the same ISO #25 tip size were selected for this study: G6 (G6), ProTaper Universal (PTU), and Dia-PT (DPT). To test torsional resistance, 5 mm of the straightened file's tip was fixed between polycarbonate blocks (n = 15/group) and continuous clockwise rotation until fracture was conducted using a customized device. To evaluate cyclic fatigue resistance, files were rotated in an artificial curved canal until fracture in a dynamic mode (n = 15/group). The torsional data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey post-hoc comparison test, while the cyclic fatigue data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test at a significance level of 95%.

PTU showed significantly greater toughness, followed by DPT and G6 (p < 0.05). G6 showed the lowest resistance in ultimate torsional strength, while it showed a higher fracture angle than the other files (p < 0.05). In the cyclic fatigue test, DPT showed a significantly higher number of cycles to failure than PTU or G6 (p < 0.05).

Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the torsional resistance of NiTi files was affected by the cross-sectional area, while the cyclic fatigue resistance of NiTi files was influenced by the surface treatment.

To determine the actual revolutions per minute (rpm) values and compare the cyclic fatigue life of Reciproc (RPC, VDW GmbH), WaveOne (WO, Dentsply Maillefer), and TF Adaptive (TFA, Axis/SybronEndo) nickel-titanium (NiTi) file systems using high-speed camera.

Twenty RPC R25 (25/0.08), 20 WO Primary (25/0.08), and 20 TFA ML 1 (25/0.08) files were employed in the present study. The cyclic fatigue tests were performed using a dynamic cyclic fatigue testing device, which has an artificial stainless steel canal with a 60° angle of curvature and a 5-mm radius of curvature. The files were divided into 3 groups (group 1, RPC R25 [RPC]; group 2, WO Primary [WO]; group 3, TF Adaptive ML 1 [TFA]). All the instruments were rotated until fracture during the cyclic fatigue test and slow-motion videos were captured using high-speed camera. The number of cycles to failure (NCF) was calculated. The data were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA, p < 0.05).

The slow-motion videos were indicated that rpm values of the RPC, WO, and TFA groups were 180, 210, and 425, respectively. RPC (3,464.45 ± 487.58) and WO (3,257.63 ± 556.39) groups had significantly longer cyclic fatigue life compared with TFA (1,634.46 ± 300.03) group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean length of the fractured fragments.

Within the limitation of the present study, RPC and WO NiTi files showed significantly longer cyclic fatigue life than TFA NiTi file.

The evaluation of iatrogenic dentinal defects in extracted teeth may be influenced by extraction forces and prolonged dry times. The purpose of this study was to compare the presence of dentinal defects in freshly extracted, periodontally compromised teeth with those in a group of teeth with uncontrolled extraction forces and storage time.

The experimental group consisted of eighteen roots obtained from teeth extracted due to periodontal reasons with class II or III mobility. They were kept in saline and sectioned within 1 hour following extraction. The control group consisted of matched root types obtained from an anonymous tooth collection, consistent with previous dentinal defect studies. The slices were obtained at 3, 6, and 9 mm from the apex. The imaging process exposed all specimens to no more than 60 seconds of dry time. The × 12.8 magnification was used for the 9 mm slices and × 19.2 magnification for the 3 mm and 6 mm slices under light-emitting diode (LED) transillumination. The root canal spaces and periodontal tissues were masked to minimize extraneous factors that might influence the evaluators. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.

Dentinal defects were detected in 17% of the experimental group teeth, compared to 61% of control teeth (p = 0.015).

LED transillumination assessment of freshly extracted roots with class II or III mobility showed smaller number of dentinal defects than roots with uncontrolled storage time and extraction forces. The use of freshly extracted roots with mobility should be considered for future dental defect assessment studies.