Root canal treatment outcomes and pulpal status

shutterstock_17046487

This review comparing the effectiveness of root canal treatment outcomes in teeth with a vital pulp versus a necrotic pulp included 28 studies. No differences between vital and necrotic pulps were seen for tooth survival. No studies reported on tooth function, adverse effects or oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL).

[read the full story...]

Top Dental Elf blogs Jul – Sep 2022

Achnahaird beach

Sonic verses rotating oscillating powered toothbrushes, the use of the miswak for periodontal health and the effect of silver diamine fluoride on the pulp were the topics of our most read blogs in July , August and September 2022.

[read the full story...]

Silver diamine fluoride: The effect on vital dental pulp

Plexus_of_Raschkow

In this review Iris Vaid looks at a systematic review of the dental pulp response to silver diamine flouride (SDF) treatment. Only a small number of studies focused on the biological effects of SDF on the dental pulp and none of them were clinical trials.

[read the full story...]

Direct pulp capping in primary teeth

900px-Pulp_cap

This review of direct pulp capping in vital primary teeth included 12 RCTs testing 16 different pulp capping agents. Interpretation of the available data is limited as few trials comparign the same agents and the quality of the trials is low.

[read the full story...]

Pulp treatments in primary teeth

caries upper arch

This Cochrane review of pulp treatments for primary teeth included 87 trials. Pulp treatments were generally successful with many trials having no clinical or radiological failure in either arm.
Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) may be the best medicament to apply after pulpotomy. For pulpectomy there was no conclusive evidence that one medicament or technique is superior to another.

[read the full story...]

Regenerative endodontic treatment or MTA apical plug in teeth with pulp necrosis and open apices?

By Drs. Ken Hargreaves and Obadah Austah, Dept of Endodontics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio - Ken Hargreaves, CC BY 3.0 us, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30784169

This review of regenerative endodontic treatment (RET) or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) apical plug (MAP)in the treatment of teeth with pulp necrosis and open apices used broad inclusion criteria. 144 studies were identified suggesting promising outcomes. However the quality of the available evidence is very low and more high quality research is needed.

[read the full story...]

Step wise caries removal sustained pulp vitality up to 5 years

shutterstock_156696980

This well designed trial compares the impact on pulp vitality of step wise verses traditional caries removal. after 5 years. THe findings suggest significantly improved outcomes with the step wise approach.

[read the full story...]

Dental pulp testing: insufficient evidence to evaluate clinical performance

shutterstock_51503758

This review of pulp sensibility and vitality tests identified 8 studies (4 Cohorts, 4 Case-controlled) . The number of studies matching the inclusion criteria did not provide a sufficient foundation to evaluate the clinical performance of pulp vitality tests.

[read the full story...]

Orthodontic forces: insufficient evidence of their effect on the dental pulp

iStock_000002259334XSmall braces on teeth

This review of the effect of orthodontic forces on the dental pulp identified only a limited number of small studies none of which were of high quality. Consequently there is insufficient scientific evidence of the effect of orthodontic forces on the dental pulp.

[read the full story...]

Orthodontic tooth movement and its effect on the dental pulp

iStock_000002551343XSmall colourful braces on teeth

Orthodontic treatment is based on the principle that if a force is applied to a tooth for a period of time it will move. The applied force produces changes in both the supporting structures and in the pulp of the tooth.  Pathological changes have been reported in the pulp in response to these forces so [read the full story…]