The purpose of this study was to investigate the pulpal response to direct pulp capping with dentin sialo-protein (DSP) -derived synthetic peptide in teeth of dogs, and to compare its efficacy to capping substances Ca(OH)₂ and white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA). A total of 72 teeth of 6 healthy male beagle dogs were used. The mechanically exposed pulps were capped with one of the following: (1) DSP-derived synthetic peptide (PEP group); (2) Ca(OH)₂ (CH group); (3) a mixture paste of peptide and Ca(OH)₂ (PEP+CH group); or (4) white MTA (WMTA group). The access cavity was restored with a reinforced glass ionomer cement. Two dogs were sacrificed at each pre-determined intervals (2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months). After the specimens were prepared for standard histological processing, sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Under a light microscope, inflammatory response and hard tissue formation were evaluated in a blind manner by 2 observers. In the PEP group, only 3 of 17 specimens showed hard tissue formation, indication that the DSP-derived synthetic peptide did not induce proper healing of the pulp. Compared with the CH group, the PEP group demonstrated an increased inflammatory response and poor hard tissue formation. The CH and WMTA groups showed similar results for direct pulp capping in mechanically exposed teeth of dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the polymerization shrinkage and modulus of elasticity of composites on the cusp deflection of class V restoration in premolars. The sixteen extracted upper premolars were divided into 2 groups with similar size. The amounts of cuspal deflection were measured in Class V cavities restored with a flowable composite (Filtek flow) or a universal hybrid composite (Z-250). The bonded interfaces of the sectioned specimens were observed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The polymerization shrinkage and modulus of elasticity of the composites were measured to find out the effect of physical properties of composite resins on the cuspal deflection. The results were as follows.

The amounts of cuspal deflection restored with Filtek flow or Z-250 were 2.18 ± 0.92 µm and 2.95 ± 1.13 µm, respectively. Filtek flow showed less cuspal deflection but there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cavity shape, bond quality of bonding agent and volume of resin composite on shrinkage stress developed at the cavity floor. This was done by measuring the shear bond strength with respect to iris materials (cavity shape; adhesive-coated dentin as a high C-factor and Teflon-coated metal as a low C-factor), bonding agents (bond quality; Scotchbond™ Multi-purpose and Xeno®III) and iris hole diameters (volume; 1 mm or 3 mm in diameter × 1.5 mm in thickness). Ninety-six molars were randomly divided into 8 groups (2 × 2 × 2 experimental setup). In order to simulate a Class I cavity, shear bond strength was measured on the flat occlusal dentin surface with irises. The iris hole was filled with Z250 restorative resin composite in a bulk-filling manner. The data was analyzed using three-way ANOVA and the Tukey test. Fracture mode analysis was also done. When the cavity had high C-factor, good bond quality and large volume, the bond strength decreased significantly. The volume of resin composite restricted within the well-bonded cavity walls is also be suggested to be included in the concept of C-factor, as well as the cavity shape and bond quality. Since the bond quality and volume can exaggerate the effect of cavity shape on the shrinkage stress developed at the resin-dentin bond, resin composites must be filled in a method, which minimizes the volume that can increase the C-factor.