FIRST STEPS OF EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF A NUMERICAL MODEL ABOUT MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF NITI ENDODONTIC INSTRUMENTS

Oral Communication presented at the ";Forum des Jeunes Chercheurs";, Brest (France) 2011

XRD Study of NiTi Endodontic Files Using Synchrotron Radiation

Two types of endodontic files (ProFile and Mtwo) were studied in order to analyze the effect of geometry on the stress-induced martensitic (SIM) transformation during bending. The use of a fine beam spot of synchrotron radiation allowed a detailed structural characterization with a fine spatial resolution. Experimental evidence of the effect of the cross-section geometry on the stress localization giving rise to different degrees of SIM transformation is presented for the first time in the published literature

A survey of adoption of endodontic nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation part 2: community and hospital dental practitioners in Wales

Objectives: To assess adoption of endodontic nickel-titanium rotary technology (NiTi) by community and hospital dental clinicians within Wales and identify factors that may restrict uptake. Design: Postal questionnaire. Setting: Community and hospital-based dentists in Wales. Methods: Community and hospital-based dentists with a remit for provision of restorative dentistry (community dental setting = 32; hospital dental setting = 36) were approached regarding their usage or otherwise of nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation for endodontic treatments. The postal questionnaire took the form of an anonymous survey comprising 12 questions. These questions covered usage parameters, satisfaction and training and broached reasons for NiTi avoidance. Results: The response rate was 77%. NiTi rotary instruments were used routinely by an encouraging 82% of those in the hospital-based restorative dental services but only 13% of community staff. Factors cited as being implicated in the decision to avoid their use included cost (62% of responses) lack of training and the perceived lack of benefit. Conclusion: The adoption of rotary NiTi endodontic technology by the hospital dental practitioners of Wales is encouraging with the majority having converted to such systems in excess of three years prior to the survey. There was, however, a significant disparity in NiTi usage between community and hospital settings, the implications for which and possible solutions for increased training and uptake are discussed

Procedural errors during root canal preparation using rotary NiTi instruments detected by periapical radiography and cone beam computed tomography

This study detected procedural errors created by rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments during root canal preparation by two imaging methods. Forty extracted human maxillary and mandibular molars were divided randomly into two groups and treated by two endodontists (n=10) and two undergraduate dental students (n=10). The ProTaper UniversalTM Rotary System was used to shape the canals and then they were filled using AH PlusTM sealer and gutta-percha. Periapical radiographs (PR) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were obtained and two examiners, who evaluated them to verify the occurrence of procedural errors (fractured instruments, perforations, and canal transportation). The Chi-square test at 0.05 level of significance was used for statistical analyses. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) between the imaging methods. In the analysis of procedural errors, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the groups of operators (endodontists vs. students) nor between tooth groups (maxillary molars vs. mandibular molars). In view of the low incidence of procedural errors during root canal preparation performed by students the introduction of rotary NiTi instruments has potential in undergraduate teaching. PR and CBCT permitted the detection of procedural errors, but the CBCT images offer more recourse for diagnosis

A survey of adoption of endodontic nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation part 1: general dental practitioners in Wales

Objective: To assess adoption of endodontic nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary technology by general dental practitioners and identify factors influencing its uptake. Design: Postal questionnaire. Setting: General dental practitioners working in Wales. Methods: General dental practitioners (n = 584) were approached regarding their usage or otherwise of nickel-titanium rotary instrumentation during root canal shaping. The postal questionnaire took the form of an anonymous survey comprising 13 questions. These questions covered usage parameters, satisfaction, training issues and reasons for avoidance of NiTi instruments. Results: The response rate was 71%. Nickel-titanium rotary instruments were used routinely by 67% of those responding practitioners. Principle factors cited as being implicated in the decision to not adopt NiTi use included cost (65% of responses), lack of training and the perceived risk of instrument fracture. Conclusions: Over two thirds of dental practitioners in Wales use rotary NiTi endodontic technology with the majority having converted to such systems more than three years ago. There was, however, a significant disparity in NiTi usage between solely NHS practitioners (42%) and private practitioners (90%). Continued provision of high quality hands-on practical workshops may be of benefit in facilitating a positive initial NiTi experience in order to assist the transfer to these newer technologies