Could conscious sedation with midazolam for dental procedures be an alternative to general anesthesia?

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the likelihood that conscious sedation (CS) with intravenous midazolam could become an alternative modality to general anesthesia (GA) for dental procedures.Materials and Methods: In our study, 58 and 47 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).1 pediatric patients, aged 2.12 (mean 6) years, underwent dental procedures and minor oral surgical procedures under GA and CS with intravenous midazolam, respectively. The two groups were evaluated in terms of vital signs, duration of the treatment procedure, patient behavior, and the treatment comfort experienced by the physicians.Results: The oxygen saturation level was significantly lower (GA: 99.0 } 0.30, CS: 98.4 } 1.02; P < 0.001) and the duration of the treatment procedure was significantly shorter (P < 0.001) in the sedation group compared with the GA group. The physicians encountered various difficulties during implementation of the treatment strategy in cases wherethey used CS. Minor oral surgical procedures and tooth extraction  processes requiring no saline irrigation, however, could be performed successfully under CS.Conclusions: In cases requiring multiple dental management issues, the sedation method was not found to be a useful alternative to GA.Key words: Conscious sedation, general anesthesia, pediatric dentistr

Shaping Ability of Two M‑Wire and Two Traditional Nickel‑Titanium Instrumentation Systems in S‑Shaped Resin Canals

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the shaping effects of two M‑wire and two traditional nickel‑titanium (NiTi) rotary systems in simulated S‑shaped resin canals.Subjects and Methods: Forty simulated S‑shaped canals in resin blocks were instrumented with two traditional (ProTaper, Sendoline S5) and two M‑wire (WaveOne, GT series X) NiTi systems according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Ten resin blocks were used for each system. Pre‑ and post‑instrumentation images were captured using a stereomicroscope and superimposed with an image program. Canal transportation, material removal, and aberrations were evaluated and recorded as numeric parameters.Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using one‑way ANOVA and post‑hoc Tukey tests with a 95% confidence interval.Results: There were significant differences between systems in terms of transportation and material removal (P < 0.05). Coronal danger zone was the most common aberration.Conclusions: Within the limits of this ex vivo study, it was found that the manufacturing methods (M‑wire or traditional NiTi) and kinematics (rotary or reciprocating motion) did not affect the shaping abilities of the systems. The extended file designs of highly tapered NiTi systems (ProTaper, WaveOne) resulted in greater deviations from the original root canal trace and more material removal when compared to less tapered systems (Sendoline S5, GT series X).Keywords: Canal Transportation, Endodontic Instruments, M‑wire, Nickel‑titanium, S‑curvatur