CURCUMIN- PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS AND ITS ROLE IN DENTISTRY

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is an ancient dye, flavouring and medical herb, widely used in Asian countries. It is a herb that has been widely used in Indian medicine, cookery, and cosmetics. The main component of turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin has a surprisingly wide range of beneficial properties includes anti inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive, chemotherapeutic activity etc.  The activity of curcumin derived from its complex chemistry as well as its ability to influence the multiple signalling pathways. This review article is to highlight the pharmacological action and its therapeutic role in dentistry. 

Asepsis in Operative Dentistry and Endodontics

Operative (Conservative) dentistry and endodontics are specialties of dentistry where the operator is exposed to various infectious agents either via contact with infected tissues, fluids or aerosol. The potential for cross infection to happen at the dental office is great and every dentist must have a thorough knowledge of the concepts of sterilization and disinfection. Disposables should be used wherever possible. Furthermore, the water supply to the dental chair units and water outlets can house biofilms of microbes and should be considered as possible sources of infection. This review discusses the importance of following strict aseptic protocols from the perspective of operative dentistry and endodontics

Three-dimensional imaging modalities in endodontics

© 2014 by Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.Recent research in endodontics has highlighted the need for three-dimensional imaging in the clinical arena as well as in research. Three-dimensional imaging using computed tomography (CT) has been used in endodontics over the past decade. Three types of CT scans have been studied in endodontics, namely cone-beam CT, spiral CT, and peripheral quantitative CT. Contemporary endodontics places an emphasis on the use of cone-beam CT for an accurate diagnosis of parameters that cannot be visualized on a two-dimensional image. This review discusses the role of CT in endodontics, pertaining to its importance in the diagnosis of root canal anatomy, detection of peri-radicular lesions, diagnosis of trauma and resorption, presurgical assessment, and evaluation of the treatment outcome.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Bacteriology of deep carious lesions underneath amalgam restorations with different pulp-capping materials - an in vivo analysis

Microorganisms remaining in dentin following cavity preparation may induce pulp damage, requiring the use of pulp-capping agents with antimicrobial activity underneath permanent restorations. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to analyze the bacteriological status of carious dentin and to assess the efficacy of different base underneath silver amalgam restorations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 50 patients aged 13 to 30 years. Sterile swabs were used to take samples after cavity preparation, which was assessed by microbiological culture to identify the microorganisms present. Following this, cavities were restored with silver amalgam, using one of the materials being investigated, as the base: calcium hydroxide (Group II), polyantibiotic paste (Group III), a novel light-cured fluoride-releasing hydroxyapatite-based liner (Group IV) and mineral trioxide aggregate - MTA (Group V). In Group I, the cavities were restored with silver amalgam, without any base. After 3 months, the amalgam was removed and samples taken again and analyzed for the microbial flora. RESULTS: Lactobacilli were the most commonly isolated microorganisms in the samples of carious dentin. Groups IV and V showed negative culture in the 3-month samples. There was no statistically significant difference between Groups I, II and III. There was no significant difference between Groups IV and V (p>0.05). Both Groups IV and V showed significantly better results when compared to Groups I, II and III (

Antibiofilm efficacy of photoactivated curcumin, triple and double antibiotic paste, 2% chlorhexidine and calcium hydroxide against Enterococcus fecalis in vitro

Root canal disinfection is one of the most important factors governing success of root canal treatment, especially when regenerative strategies are used. This study evaluated the efficacy of 5 intracanal medicaments against mature biofilms of Enterococcus fecalis in vitro: Light activated curcumin, triple antibiotic paste (TAP), double antibiotic paste (DAP), chlorhexidine, calcium hydroxide. Untreated teeth with biofilms served as controls. Confocal microscopy was used to analyse the biofilm mass and percentage of live/dead bacteria within the root canal as well as dentinal tubules. Dentinal shavings obtained from the root canal walls (at 200 and 400 microns depth) were used to quantify the colony forming units/mL. The results showed that light activated curcumin and triple antibiotic paste brought about complete disruption of the biofilm structure (P 0.05). Light activated curcumin brought about the highest percentage of dead cells at both depths, but this was not significantly different from triple antibiotic paste (P > 0.05). Curcumin, TAP and DAP brought about a significant reduction of CFU/mL at both depths compared to the control and other groups (P < 0.05). Light activated curcumin brought about a 7 log reduction of bacteria at both depths.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Cemental tear: Literature review, proposed classification and recommendations for treatment

Cemental tears are an important condition of relevance to Endodontics but are often overlooked. A cemental tear is the partial or complete detachment of the cementum from the cemento-dentinal junction or along the incremental line within the body of cementum. The limited attention received is most likely due to the limited awareness amongst dental professionals and challenges in accurately diagnosing them, resulting in misdiagnosis and erroneous treatment. The aim of this review is to describe the: (i) epidemiology and predisposing factors; (ii) clinical, radiographic and histological features and (iii) the clinical management and treatment outcomes of cemental tear. The review included 37 articles published in English that comprised eight observational studies and 29 case reports. The prevalence of cemental tears was reported to be lower than 2%; whilst the incidence remains unknown. Internal factors due to the inherent structural weakness of cementum and its interface with the dentine, and external factors that are associated with stress have been proposed as the two mechanisms responsible for the development and propagation of cemental tears. Predisposing factors that have been implicated were tooth type, gender, age, previous root canal treatment, history of dental trauma, occlusal trauma and excessive occlusal force; however, evidence is limited. Common clinical and radiographic manifestations of cemental tears resemble the presentations of primary endodontic diseases, primary periodontal diseases and combined endodontic–periodontal lesions. Clinical management tended to focus on complete removal of the torn fragments and periodontal treatment, often combined with regenerative treatment. In this article, a new classification for cemental tears is developed that consists of classes 0 to 6 and stages A, B, C and D based on the: (i) location and accessibility of the torn cemental fragment; (ii) the pattern and extension of the associated bony defect in relation to the root length and (iii) the number of root surface/s affected by the cemental tear/s and the associated bony defect. Recommendations for treatment strategies are also provided and linked to the classification to aid in streamlining the process of treatment decision making

The presence of Enterococcus faecalis in saliva as a risk factor for endodontic infection

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate and correlate the prevalence of Enterococcus faecalis in saliva and in root canals with different pulpal and periapical conditions. Methodology: Sixty-seven patients were divided into five groups based on pulpal&nbsp;and periapical tissue status: healthy vital teeth (HVT, n=7), healthy treated teeth without lesion (HTT, n=9), irreversible pulpitis (IP, n=13), necrosis (N, n=18), and post-treatment apical periodontitis (PTAP, n=20). Saliva, rubber dam, sterility&nbsp;control and pre-treatment root canal samples were collected and microbiologically processed by culture method. The phylogenetic relationship of E. faecalis isolates collected from root canals and saliva were investigated by whole genome sequencing. Fisher's exact test was used to correlate the presence of E. faecalis in root canals or saliva with clinical and/or radiographic findings. Linear/logistic regression analyses were performed to establish the relationship between the presence of E. faecalis in root canals, saliva, and the status of periapical tissues. Results: E. faecalis was found in 18 root canal and saliva samples. E. faecalis root canal isolates were recovered with the highest frequency from post-treatment apical periodontitis. The occurrence of E. faecalis in saliva was strongly associated with its detection in the root canals (P &lt; 0.001). The pretreatment presence of E. faecalis in root canals was associated with significantly higher odds of having periapical lesions (OR=11.03; 95% CI, 1.27-95.70; p &lt; 0.05). Saliva and root canal isolates from the same patient were highly correlated at the phylogenetic level (Jaccard index &gt;0.95). Conclusion: This pilot study confirms the role of E. faecalis in developing peri-radicular lesions in secondary endodontic infections and suggests that saliva could be the main source of infection. Further studies are needed to investigate the exact origin of this bacteria and its true role in the pathogenesis of secondary/persistent endodontic infections

Removal of gutta-percha/zinc-oxide-eugenol sealer or gutta-percha/epoxy resin sealer from severely curved canals: An in vitro study

The aim of this study was to compare the cleanliness of root canal walls after retreatment using two rotary retreatment files to hand instruments in severely curved canals obturated with gutta-percha and two different sealers. Single rooted mandibular premolars (n = 90) with root curvatures were instrumented and obturated with gutta-percha and an epoxy resin (Group 1, n = 45) or zinc oxide eugenol sealer (Group 2, n = 45). Following retreatment of the specimens (n = 15 ProTaper Universal Retreatment Files (Subgroup B) or R-Endo retreatment files (Subgroup C) after 1 month, split specimens were examined under a stereomicroscope and the percentage of remaining root filling material was statistically compared using one way ANOVA with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons (P = 0.05). The R-Endo system performed significantly better than the other two file systems (P < 0.05). None of the systems used in this study cleaned root canals thoroughly. The R-Endo system did provide cleaner walls when compared to the other instruments used. The type of root filling materials had an impact on the outcomes with all techniques. Copyright © 2011 Santhoshini Reddy et al.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Three-dimensional quantitative porosity characterization of syringe- versus hand-mixed set epoxy resin root canal sealer

© 2015, Associacao Brasileira de Divulgacao Cientifica. All rights reserved.The aim of the present study was to compare the porosity characteristics of AH Plus Jet™ syringe-mix and the conventional hand-mixed AH Plus root canal sealers by three-dimensional quantitative high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Seven test specimens were prepared from each tested sealer by a single operator following the manufacturer’s instructions and poured into pre-lubricated plastic split-ring moulds. Set sealer test specimens were scanned using a micro-CT device and the shadow images were reconstructed into cross-sectional slices. The evaluated parameters were (i) total pore count, (ii) total pore volume and mean pore volume, (iii) total porosity (% of pore volume in relation to total sealer volume) and (iv) mean pore distance to the sealer lateral external surface. In both groups, most pores were localized within the external sealer perimeter (0.05 mm from the external surface). Hand-mixed AH Plus specimens showed statistically significant higher mean total pore count, total pore volume and total porosity (p=0.001) than the syringe-mixed specimens. However, mean pore sizes in AH Plus syringe-mixed specimens were significantly higher (p=0.046) than the AH Plus hand-mixed counterparts. Hand-mixed AH Plus was associated with higher total mean pore count, volume and total porosity compared to syringe mixed AH Plus.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) intake on glycemia: A meta-analysis of clinical trials

10.1186/1475-2891-13-7Nutrition Journal131