Multidisciplinary approach in the teaching of dental sculpture and anatomy

The purpose of the Dental Sculpture and Anatomy discipline is to introduce undergraduate students to the study of the anatomic and morphological characteristics of permanent and primary human dentition, through classes, books and cognitive and psychomotor activities. This discipline supports the teaching of specific knowledge necessary for a more extensive education, involving interdisciplinarity as a means of knowledge exchange among several areas of dentistry, to achieve comprehensive professional education. Students must recognize the dental morphology from samples of preserved teeth, and reproduce the morphology through three-dimensional models made of stone or wax blocks. In this article, the authors describe the process for producing teeth collars and macro dental models made of stone, their importance and benefits of utilization. The purpose of the study was to encourage the teaching of Dental Sculpture and Anatomy toundergraduate students of the Bauru School of Dentistry, University of Sao Paulo, through activities that would associate theory, practice and the development of manual skills.

Hepatitis C virus and dental health workers: an update

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of recasting procedure upon corrosion behavior and metallic ion release of Co-Cr-Mo dental alloy in physiological

Recasting process influence upon corrosion behavior of Co-Cr-Mo dental alloy in simulated physiological serum has been investigated using chemical and electrochemical techniques. Recast Co-Cr-Mo alloy by induction (IND) or by blowtorch (FLAME) has exhibited similar dendritic structures. Both IND and FLAME alloys have presented good corrosion resistance in physiological serum. Passivation process provides this corrosion resistance. Codissolution makes this process difficult. Passive films, formed on these alloys, have been analyzed as a dual layer consisting of an inner barrier and an outer porous layer. Passive film protective characteristics are higher in FLAME than in IND alloy. On this last alloy, the passive film is more porous due to a higher Codissolution. ©Carl Hanser Verlag, München.

Influence of Estrogen Deficiency on Bone Around Osseointegrated Dental Implants: An Experimental Study in the Rat Jaw Model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Maxillo-mandibular counter-clockwise rotation and mandibular advancement with TMJ Concepts (R) total joint prostheses Part I - Skeletal and dental stability

The purpose of this study was to evaluate skeletal and dental stability in patients who had temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction and mandibular counterclockwise advancement using TMJ Concepts total join, prostheses (TMJ Concepts Inc. Ventura, CA) with maxillary osteotomies being performed at the same operation. All patients were operated at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas TX, USA, by one surgeon (Wolford). Forty-seven females were studied; the average post-surgical follow-up was 40.6 months. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed to estimate surgical and post-surgical changes. During surgery, the occlusal plane angle decreased 14.9 +/- 8.0 degrees. The maxilla moved forward and upward. The posterior nasal spine moved downward and forward. The mandible advanced 7.9 +/- 3.5 mm at the lower incisor tips, 12.4 +/- 5.4 mm at Point B, 17.3 +/- 7.0 mm at menton, 18.4 +/- 8.5 mm at pogonion, and 11.0 +/- 5.3 mm at gonion. Vertically, the lower incisors moved upward -2.9 +/- 4.0 mm. At the longest follow-up post surgery, the maxilla showed minor horizontal changes while all mandibular measurements remained stable. TMJ reconstruction and mandibular advancement with TMJ Concepts total joint prosthesis in conjunction with maxillary osteotomies for counter-clockwise rotation of the rnaxillo-mandibular complex was a stable procedure for these patients at the longest follow-up.

Optimizing maxillary aesthetics of a severe compromised tooth through orthodontic movement and dental implants

Treatment of severe compromised tooth in the maxillary anterior area still poses great challenge to the clinicians. Several treatment modalities have been proposed to restore the function and aesthetics in teeth with advanced periodontal disease. The present study aims to report a case of traumatic injury of a left-maxillary central incisor with ridge preservation, orthodontic movement, and implant therapy. A 45-year-old woman underwent the proposed treatment for her left central incisor: basic periodontal therapy, xenogenous bone graft, and guided bone regeneration (GBR). Six months after the graft procedure, orthodontic movement by means of alignment and leveling was made and a coronal displacement of the gingival margin and vertical bone apposition could be observed after 13 months of active movement. Afterwards, a dental implant was placed followed by a connective tissue graft and immediate provisionalization of the crown. In conclusion, orthodontic movement was effective to improve the gingival tissue and alveolar bone prior to implant placement favoring the aesthetic results. Six years postoperatively, the results revealed height and width alveolar bone gain indicating that the treatment proposed was able to restore all the functional and aesthetic parameters.

Evaluation of the shear bond strength of the union between two CoCr-alloys and a dental ceramic

Introduction: Based on the importance of the integrity of the metal/ceramic interface, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the shear bond strength of the metal-ceramic union of two Co-Cr alloys (Wirobond C, Bego; Remanium 2000, Dentaurum) combined with Omega 900 ceramic (Vita Zahnfabrik). Material and Method: Eleven cylindrical matrixes were made for each alloy, and the metallic portion was obtained with the lost wax casting technique with standardized waxing of 4mm of height and of 4mm of diameter. The ceramic was applied according to the manufacturer's recommendations with the aid of a teflon matrix that allowed its dimension to be standardized in the same size as the metallic portion. The specimens were submitted to the shear bond test in an universal testing machine (EMIC), with the aid of a device developed for such intention, and constant speed of 0.5mm/min. Results and Conclusions: The mean resistance was 48.387MPa for Wirobond C alloy, with standard deviation of 17.718, and 55.956MPa for Remanium 2000, with standard deviation of 17.198. No statistically significant difference was observed between the shear strength of the two metal-ceramic alloys.

Dental mineralization and salivary activity are reduced in offspring of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Several pathologies have been diagnosed in children of hypertensive mothers; however, some studies that evaluated the alterations in their oral health are not conclusive. This study analyzed the salivary gland activity and dental mineralization of offsprings of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thirty-day-old SHR males and Wistar rats were studied. The salivary flow was evaluated by injection of pilocarpine, the protein concentration and salivary amylase activity, by the Lowry method and kinetic method at 405 nm, respectively. Enamel and dentin mineralization of the mandibular incisors was quantified with aid of the microhardness meter. The results were analyzed by the ANOVA or Student's t test (p<0.05). It was noticed that the salivary flow rate (0.026 mL/min/100 g ± 0.002) and salivary protein concentration (2.26 mg/mL ± 0.14) of SHR offspring were reduced compared to Wistar normotensive offspring (0.036 mL/min/100 g ± 0.003 and 2.91 mg/mL ± 0.27, respectively), yet there was no alteration in amylase activity (SHR: 242.4 U/mL ± 36.9; Wistar: 163.8 U/mL ± 14.1). Microhardness was lower both in enamel (255.8 KHN ± 2.6) and dentin (59.9 KHN ± 0.8) for the SHR teeth compared to the Wistar teeth (enamel: 328.7 KHN ± 3.3 and dentin: 67.1 KHN ± 1.0). These results suggest that the SHR offspring are more susceptible to development of pathologies impairing oral health, once they presented lesser flow and salivary protein concentration and lower dental mineralization.

Dental anomalies in patients with down syndrome

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of dental anomalies in Brazilian patients with Down syndrome. A sample with 49 panoramic x-rays of syndromic patients aged 3 to 33 years (22 male and 27 female) was used. The characteristics of dental anomalies were observed in the panoramic radiographs in both the primary and permanent dentition, according to the ICD (International Classification of Diseases). The corresponding tables and percentile analysis were elaborated. There was a high incidence of syndromic patients with different types of anomalies, such as taurodontism (50%), proven anodontia (20.2%), suspected anodontia (10.7%), conic teeth (8.3%) and impacted teeth (5.9%). In conclusion, patients with Down syndrome presented a high incidence of dental anomalies and, in most cases, the same individual presented more than one dental anomaly.