Amalgam Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Amalgam, including details on dental fillings, dentistry, side-effects.

Coronal tooth structure in root-treated teeth prepared for complete and partial coverage restorations.

Murphy F, McDonald A, Petrie A, Palmer G, Setchell D

UCL Eastman Dental Institute, Eastman Dental Hospital, London, UK.

This in vivo study assessed the remaining coronal tooth structure in teeth prepared for complete and partial coverage restorations using 3D-scanning and a Tooth Restorability Index (TRI). The cuspal coverage preparation designs selected by 10 postgraduate dentists and 10 general dental practitioners were recorded in a questionnaire. Eighteen patients had molar root treatment completed at the Eastman Dental Hospital and were prescribed a coronal-radicular amalgam core and cast restoration. Each tooth was prepared in vivo by one operator for a cast restoration. Two clinical impressions were made to produce two dies: one of remaining coronal tooth structure before crown preparation and a second die of coronal tooth structure in vivo after crown preparation. For teeth prepared for partial coverage in vivo (n = 13), a third die was prepared in vitro representing remaining tooth structure after complete coverage preparation. The three dies were of tooth structure prior to core placement. All dies (n = 31) were scanned using a laser profilometer and the volume of remaining tooth structure calculated. Four observers scored 31 dies using the TRI. The percentage loss of coronal tooth volume following a complete instead of a partial coverage preparation varied from 3.29% to 45.23% and the mean TRI fell from 10.7 to 7.5 units. There was a strong correlation between mean TRI and scanned volume of tooth structure (P = 0.013). Over 50% of the dentists altered their initial choice of restoration design from complete to partial coverage. Complete coverage preparations removed more tooth structure than partial coverage.

Published 22 June 2009 in J Oral Rehabil, 36(6): 451-61.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Amalgam published 8 June 2009:

A Systematic Review of Dowel (Post) and Core Materials and Systems.   J Prosthodont.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review was to determine which dowel (post) and core system is the most successful when used in vivo to restore endodontically treated teeth. Materials and Methods: A MEDLINE, a Cochrane, and an EMBASE search (three specified searches) were conducted to identify randomized (RCT) and nonrandomized controlled clinical trials (CCT), cohort (CS), and case control studies (CCS) until January 2008, conducted on humans, and published in English, German, and French, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 4 June 2009:

Traditional Operative Treatment Options.   Monogr Oral Sci, 21: 164-173.

Operative intervention should be avoided, whenever possible, by adopting a preventive approach. Timely management of early caries can lead to arrest and possibly remineralization of the lesion rendering operative intervention unnecessary. The dentist must judge when the tooth tissue has become sufficiently demineralized to allow bacterial ingress leading to irreversible changes in the tissue. Once a decision has been made to restore a tooth, the clinician must decide, from a series of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 3 June 2009:

Investigation of contact allergy to dental metals in 206 patients.   Contact Dermatitis, 60(6): 339-43.

BACKGROUND: Contact allergy to dental materials is poorly understood; clinical manifestations are heterogeneous. OBJECTIVE: To analyse positive patch test reactions to metals (as their alloys or salts) used in dentistry together with clinical symptoms and possible relevance to dental fillings. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 206 patients who underwent patch testing with metals used in dentistry because of suspected contact allergy to them. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of 206 patients had positive ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 1 June 2009:

Aspergillosis of the maxillary sinus secondary to a foreign body (amalgam) in the maxillary antrum.   Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 47(4): 313-5.

We report a case of a Maxillary sinus aspergilloma, which presented after 2 years of symptoms of chronic sinusitis. There was an isolatable triggering event of extrusion of an amalgam filling material into the sinus. This was a complication of surgical extraction of the upper right second molar by his general dental practitioner. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 29 May 2009:

Selection of dental materials and longevity of replaced restorations in Public Dental Health clinics in northern Sweden.   J Dent.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the selection of direct restorative materials and longevity of replaced restorations in relation to operator and patients characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of treatment in practice, recording all new placements and replacements of direct restorations was performed during 2 weeks comprising all dentists within the Public Dental Health clinics in the county council of Västerbotten. RESULTS: A total of 2834 data collection sheets, one for each placed ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 26 May 2009:

Attitudes of final year dental students to the use of rubber dam.   Int Endod J.

Aim To investigate the attitudes of final year dental students in Wales and Ireland to the use of rubber dam. Methods A pre-piloted questionnaire was distributed to final year dental students in Cardiff and Cork Dental Schools in January 2008. Information sought included attitudes to, and the current and anticipated use of, rubber dam for a variety of operative and endodontic treatments. Results Of 93 questionnaires distributed, 87 were completed and returned (response rate = 94%; Cardiff: 89%, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 25 May 2009:

Neuropsychological function in school-age children with low mercury exposures.   Environ Res.

The EPA reference dose for methylmercury (MeHg) was established using data from populations with greater exposures than those typical of the US. Few data are available on potential adverse health effects at lower levels. We examined relationships between hair mercury (Hg) levels and neuropsychological outcomes in a population of US children. This study included data from 355 children ages 6-10 enrolled in the New England Children's Amalgam Trial. Data on total hair Hg levels, sociodemographic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amalgam published 14 May 2009:

Prevalence and Incidence of Caries Lesions in Relation to Placement and Replacement of Fillings: A Longitudinal Observational Radiographic Study of an Adult Danish Population.   Caries Res, 43(4): 286-293.

The aim was to describe the prevalence and incidence of caries lesions in relation to the placement and replacement of amalgam and non-metal fillings in a randomly selected adult Danish population. In 1997 and in 2003, 470 individuals underwent a full-mouth radiographic survey. All recordings were based on radiographs. A total of 12,361 teeth were examined. Registrations were performed on surfaces: mesial, distal and occlusal or incisal. In 1997 the total number of teeth and the number of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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