Endodontic applications of propolis in primary and permanent teeth: A scoping review of clinical studies

Objective: The use of propolis-based materials within endodontics to promote pulp wound healing or disinfect the root canal system has been a recent focus of scientists and clinicians. This is mainly because of the well-documented antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and wound healing properties of propolis. This scoping review critically appraises the literature on the clinical applications of propolis-based compounds during endodontic therapy of primary and permanent teeth. Methods: An electronic literature search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science up to and including October 2023 to identify studies assessing the use of propolis during endodontic therapy of primary and permanent teeth. A combination of relevant MeSh terms and keywords was used. Only human clinical studies written in English were included. The identified manuscripts were screened and assessed for inclusion by two independent authors. Eligible manuscripts were then subjected to critical appraisal and data extraction with the information being summarised according to their clinical application. Results: A total of 26 human clinical studies were identified and included in the analysis. Propolis was investigated for use in the primary and permanent dentitions as a direct pulp capping or pulpotomy material as well as in root canal disinfection and root filling of teeth with non-vital pulps. Overall, the studies reported that the use of propolis was associated with promising outcomes in terms of efficacy to control inflammation, enhance tissue repair, and disinfection of the root canal system. However, a critical appraisal of the studies revealed a range of methodological and reporting deficiencies, resulting in unreliable results and conclusions in terms of the clinical outcomes reported. Conclusion: Although the studies on the use of propolis-based materials in endodontics reported promising clinical outcomes, they had a range of methodological and reporting flaws. Further well-designed and properly reported controlled clinical studies are essential to derive sound evidence-based conclusions on propolis-based materials. Furthermore, guidelines for quality assurance and safe use of propolis-based materials are necessary to enhance their production for commercial use in endodontics

A bibliometric analysis of the dental scientific literature on COVID-19

Objectives The rapid production of a large volume of literature during the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak created a substantial burden for clinicians and scientists. Therefore, this manuscript aims to identify and describe the scientific literature addressing COVID-19 from a dental research perspective, in terms of the manuscript origin, research domain, study type, and level of evidence (LoE). Materials and methods Data were retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. A descriptive analysis of bibliographic data, collaboration network, and keyword co-occurrence analysis were performed. Articles were further classified according to the field of interest, main research question, type of study, and LoE. Results The present study identified 296 dental scientific COVID-19 original papers, published in 89 journals, and co-authored by 1331 individuals affiliated with 429 institutions from 53 countries. Although 81.4% were single-country papers, extensive collaboration among the institutions of single countries (Italian, British, and Brazilian institutions) was observed. The main research areas were as follows: the potential use of saliva and other oral fluids as promising samples for COVID-19 testing, dental education, and guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission in dental practice. The majority of articles were narrative reviews, cross-sectional studies, and short communications. The overall LoE in the analyzed dental literature was low, with only two systematic reviews with the highest LoE I. Conclusion The dental literature on the COVID-19 pandemic does not provide data relevant to the evidence-based decision-making process. Future studies with a high LoE are essential to gain precise knowledge on COVID-19 infection within the various fields of Dentistry. Clinical relevance The published dental literature on COVID-19 consists principally of articles with a low level of scientific evidence which do not provide sufficient reliable high-quality evidence that is essential for decision making in clinical dental practice

Tooth auto-transplantation: A bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited articles

Background/Aim: Tooth auto-transplantation has recently gained high clinical acceptance. The aim of this study was to identify the top 100 most-cited articles regarding tooth auto-transplantation, to analyse multiple citations and publication metrics and to outline the historical scientific advancements in this field. Materials and Methods: An advanced search of the Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science ‘Core Collection’ and Elsevier's Scopus databases utilising specific keywords related to tooth auto-transplantation between 1971 and 2021 was performed. The retrieved articles were ranked in descending order based on their Web of Science citation counts and further cross-matched with citation data from Scopus. The extracted data included citation counts, citation density, level of evidence, year of publication, contributing authors names and institutes, corresponding author's address, journal of publication, journal local citations index, cumulative growth index, keywords and keywords Plus. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and graphical mapping. Results: A total of 1290 articles were retrieved. The top 100 most-cited articles received a total of 4899 (Web of Science) and 5250 (Scopus) citations. Among these, cohort studies (29%) and case series (18%) were the most common study designs. Scandinavian countries produced major contributions in defining the top 100 most-cited articles and ranked within the top 5 countries based on the number of publications and citations per year. The greatest contributing authors were Schwartz O (n = 12), Andreasen JO (n = 8) and Paulsen HU (n = 6), and they were affiliated with Copenhagen, Denmark. The top contributing journals were American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology, European Journal of Orthodontics, Dental Traumatology and Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis revealed a large geographical scientific interest and broad development in the field of tooth auto-transplantation spanning multiple dental disciplines.Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library

A bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited case reports and case series in Endodontic journals

Aim To identify the top 100 most-cited case reports and case series published in Endodontic journals and to analyse their bibliometric characteristics. Methodology The Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and PubMed databases were used to identify the top 100 most-cited case reports and case series in Endodontic journals. Complete bibliographic records of the selected case reports and case series were exported in plain text or BibTeX format and imported into the R environment for statistical computing and graphics. The following parameters were then analysed: names and affiliations of the authors, title, year of publication, journal of publication, first author, corresponding author, literature cited within reports, language, citation counts, impact factor of the journal, keywords, Keywords Plus and research topic. Results In total, 88 case reports and 12 case series published in English between 1977 and 2016 were identified as the most-cited reports in the field of Endodontics. The terms “case report(s)” or “case series” were not included in the title of 57 articles. The number of authors per report ranged from one to seven, with the average number of co-authors per report being 3.14. The most-cited author was M Trope (University of Pennsylvania, USA). The University of Washington and Private Practice, Cetraro, Italy, were the most productive institutions. The country whose case reports received the largest total number of citations was the United States. The largest number of the most-cited reports appeared in 2002, 2004 and 2007 (n = 7, respectively). According to the WoS database, the total number of citations ranged from 42 to 453, with the average number of citations per report being 79.97. The majority of the top 100 most-cited articles were published in the Journal of Endodontics and the International Endodontic Journal. The most frequently used author keywords were revascularization and mineral trioxide aggregate. The majority of the case reports and case series dealt with topics related to pulp regeneration. Conclusion This bibliometric study provides a comprehensive overview on the progress, trends and current directions in clinical practice within the field of Endodontics

Clinical management of external cervical resorption: a systematic

This review investigated whether any therapeutic options influenced the outcome of treatment for teeth with external cervical resorption. Out of 870 articles identified by an electronic search, 60 clinical case reports and six case series were included. No randomised clinical trials were found. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute's tools. External surgical intervention was the preferred method of accessing the lesions. Removal of resorptive tissue was prevalently achieved mechanically. Bioactive endodontic cements were the preferred materials for restoring teeth. The outcome measures were based on clinical and radiographic parameters. Of the cases included in the review, no specific treatment approach had a superior outcome in relation to Heithersay's classification. Furthermore, due to the absence of randomised clinical trials, and to the low level of evidence associated with case reports/case series, it was not possible to define the optimum clinical treatment for external cervical resorption

VISIÓN AÉREA DE LA LAGUNA DE VALLESECO [Material gráfico]

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, 201

Factors that influence the outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth

The promotion of minimally invasive treatments focussed on the maintenance of pulp vitality has become a priority area in Endodontics. These vital pulp treatments (VPT) include partial and full pulpotomy, during which diseased coronal pulp tissue is removed prior to placement of a capping biomaterial and restoration. Traditionally, pulpotomies were confined to the treatment of carious primary and traumatized permanent teeth. However, these treatments have now been proposed as definitive solutions for cariously exposed permanent teeth with mild symptoms or even symptoms indicative of irreversible disease. Until recently, it was recommended that carious exposure of mature permanent teeth be managed by root canal treatment. The promotion of pulpotomy as an alternative treatment has opened up a wave of laboratory and clinical research aimed at improving therapies or evaluating clinical outcomes. In modern evidence‐based endodontics, it is imperative that the outcomes of both partial and full pulpotomy are considered and important prognostic factors identified, so that improvements can be made to aid clinical decision‐making and to direct new research. In this narrative review, the outcomes of partial and full pulpotomy are discussed, before analysis of patient, intraoperative and postoperative factors that influence the outcome of the pulpotomy procedure. The review highlights that although partial and full pulpotomy for the treatment of even pulpal disease are highly successful procedures, this is based on low‐quality evidence with a lack of prospective, comparative trials investigating potential prognostic factors. Based on current evidence, it appears that age, gender, tooth type, root development and intraoperative pulpal haemorrhage do not impact significantly on pulpotomy outcome, whilst others such as caries depth, inflammatory status of the pulp, capping material, level of inflammatory pulpal‐biomarkers and the final restoration integrity do. Other factors, including the influence of exposure type, periodontal condition, pulpal lavage, magnification, operator experience, isolation of the operating field and type of pulpotomy, require further experimental investigation before definitive conclusions can be made relating to the success of the pulpotomy procedure. Finally, there is not only a need for future well‐designed prospective research addressing these issues but also a widening of our understanding of outcome to include patient‐reported as well as clinician‐reported outcomes

Propolis use in dentistry: A narrative review of its preventive and therapeutic applications

Propolis is a resinous substance produced naturally by bees, and it consists of the exudates of plants mixed with enzymes, wax, and pollen. Propolis continues to gain considerable scientific interest due to its potential health benefits. The modern-day use of propolis in pharmaceutical preparations, such as toothpastes, mouthwashes, chewable tablets, mucoadhesive gels, and sprays, is increasing. However, the effectiveness of using propolis-containing pharmaceuticals in dentistry is not clear. The present paper aims to review the literature on the dental applications of propolis in preventive dentistry, periodontics, oral medicine, and restorative dentistry and discuss its clinical effectiveness. A literature search was conducted using Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. In total, 104 studies were included, of which 46 were laboratory studies, 5 animal studies, and 53 human clinical studies. Overall, the laboratory studies revealed a range of antimicrobial effects of propolis on oral pathogens. Clinical investigations of propolis in biofilm and dental caries control as well as adjuvant periodontal therapies reported positive outcomes in terms of plaque control, pathogenic microbial count reduction, and periodontal tissue inflammation control. Additional investigations included the use of propolis for the management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis, oral mucositis, and cavity disinfection after caries removal as well as the development of a range of restorative dental materials. Based on the reported outcomes of the studies, the clinical usage of propolis has potential. However, the majority of the evidence is derived from studies with flaws in their methodological design, making their results and conclusions questionable. As a consequence, properly designed and well-reported clinical studies are required to affirm the effectiveness of propolis for dental applications. Additionally, the safety of propolis and the optimal concentrations and extraction methods for its clinical use warrant further investigation. Utilisation of standardised propolis extracts will help in quality control of propolis-based products and lead to the achievement of reproducible outcomes in research studies

Reporting quality of scoping reviews in endodontics: A meta‐research study

Objectives: To evaluate the reporting quality of Scoping Reviews (ScRs) in endodontics according to the PRISMA Extension Checklist for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) and to analyse their association with a range of publication and methodological/reporting characteristics. Methods: Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched up to 31 January 2024 to identify scoping reviews in the field of endodontics. An additional search was performed in three leading endodontic journals. Study selection and appraising the quality of the studies was carried out independently by two reviewers. Each of the 20 PRISMA‐ScR items were allocated a score of either 0, 0.5 or 1 to reflect the completeness of the reporting. An item‐specific and overall percentage reporting quality score was calculated and reported through descriptive statistics across a range of publication, as well as methodological/reporting characteristics. A univariable and multivariable quantile regression was performed to identify the effect of publication and methodological/reporting characteristics (year of publication, journal, inclusion of an appropriate reporting guideline, and study registration) on the overall percentage reporting quality score. Association of reporting quality score with publication characteristics was then investigated. Results: A total of 40 ScRs were identified and included for appraisal. Most of the studies were published from 2021 onwards. The overall median reporting quality score was 86%. The most frequent items not included in the studies were: a priori protocol registration (22/40 compliant; 55%), and reporting of funding (16/40 compliant; 40%). Other key elements that were inadequately reported were the abstract (7/40 compliant; 18%), the rationale and justification of the ScR (21/40 compliant; 52%) and the objectives of the study (18/40 compliant; 45%). Studies that adhered to appropriate reporting guidelines were associated with greater reporting quality scores (β‐coefficient: 10; 95%CI: 1.1, 18.9; p = .03). ScRs with protocols registered a priori had significantly greater reporting quality scores (β‐coefficient: 12.5; 95%CI: 6.1, 18.9; p < .001), compared with non‐registered reviews. Conclusions: The reporting quality of the ScRs in endodontics varied and was greater when the ScR protocols were registered a priori and when the authors adhered to reporting guidelines

Successful root canal treatment of an atypical mandibular canine with a boomerangshaped root and canal system with a large periapical lesion—A case report with 9-year follow-up

Aim This report describes an atypical mandibular canine with a single boomerang-shaped root and root canal system with a large periapical lesion managed by root canal treatment. Methods The chief complaint of a 16-year-old male was acute pain and an abnormal sensation in the right mandibular canine (#27). The clinical examination revealed that tooth #27 had an unusual coronal morphology. The buccal aspect of the tooth resembled that of a normal canine but was significantly broader than expected. On the lingual aspect of the crown, however, there was an unusual cusp-like structure with ridges that was slightly less prominent than the buccal incisal tip. The intraoral periapical radiographs revealed a complex root with an obvious cow horn-shaped canal mesially and distally, but with the suggestion of a root structure joining the mesial and distal extensions. A large periapical lesion was present, Computed tomography revealed the presence of a single root and canal system shaped like a boomerang. Root canal treatment was performed, and the patient was followed-up for 9 years. Results Following root canal treatment, the patient had no symptoms, no mobility, no periodontal pockets, or root resorption. At 9 years, the cone beam computed tomography images confirmed that satisfactory healing of the periapical tissues had occurred. Conclusion The mandibular right canine had a unique boomerang-shaped root and canal system. Effective shaping and cleaning of the complex canal shape plus thermoplastic root filling aided the successful healing of the periapical lesion