Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:One approach to controlling dental unit waterline (DUWL) contamination by microorganisms is the addition of chemical cleaners to the treatment water. Yet, there is concern that these cleaners might affect the bonding of resin-based composites to enamel and dentin. The authors evaluated the influence of DUWL cleaners on composite-to-dentin bond strengths. METHODS:The authors tested the strength of resin-based composite bonded to dentin in specimens treated with distilled water (control) or one of four cleaners. They tested a total-etch adhesive, a self-etching primer/adhesive and an experimental self-etching primer/ adhesive. The authors stored the specimens for 24 hours at 37 C and tested them to determine their bond strengths. RESULTS:The mean shear bond strengths (SBSs) varied according to the cleaner and adhesive used, ranging from 14.7 to 21.9 megapascals. However, the authors found no statistically significant differences and/or interactions between mean SBSs of specimens treated with the various DUWL cleaners and adhesives (P > or = .05). CONCLUSIONS:The tested DUWL cleaners did not significantly influence composite-to-dentin bond strengths for the total-etch adhesive and self-etching primer/adhesives used in this study. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS. The conclusions imply that bonding of resin-based composites to dentin is not affected by the cleaners tested when they are used to treat DUWL contamination.

UNLABELLED:Coronal fractures of the anterior teeth are a common form of dental trauma that mainly affects children and adolescents. One of the options for managing coronal tooth fractures when the tooth fragment is available and there is no or minimal violation of the biological width is the reattachment of the dental fragment. Reattachment of fractured tooth fragments can provide good and long-lasting esthetics (because the tooth's original anatomic form, color, and surface texture are maintained). It also restores function, provides a positive psychological response, and is a relatively simple procedure. Patient cooperation and understanding of the limitations of the treatment is of utmost importance for good prognosis. This article reports on two coronal tooth fracture cases that were successfully treated using tooth fragment reattachment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE/CONCLUSIONS:Reattachment of fractured tooth fragments offers a viable restorative option for the clinician because ot restores tooth function and esthetics with the use of a very conservative and cost-effective approach.

In the previous Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry's Talking with Patients, we defined occlusion and malocclusion and discussed when and why malocclusion is a concern. In this issue we will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of malocclusions.