Dens Invaginatus: prophylactic management

Dens invaginatus is thought to be as a result of distortion of the enamel organ during tooth development and the subsequent protrusion of a part leading to the formation of a linear enamel canal that ends at the cingulum, or at the incisal border, producing an irregular crown shape. Food debris may become packed in this area with resultant caries and pulp necrosis and periradicular inflammation. The permanent maxillary lateral incisors are the most commonly involved teeth and bilateral involvement is not unusual. Case Report This is a report of bilateral involvement of the maxillary incisors with associated carious involvement of the coronal pits in a 43year old man with a high caries index. Composite filling of the palatal pits of the involved teeth was done as a prophylactic treatment to prevent carious exposure of the pulp and subsequent periradicular pathology. Conclusion. Prophylactic filling of the coronal pit is recommended to avoid pulpal and periradicular complications that may warrant extensive and expensive treatment or even loss of the involved tooth Keywords: Dens invaginatus, prophylactic composite fillingNigerian Dental Journal Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 105-10

Coronal tissue loss of endodontically treated permanent teeth of patients seen in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Objectives: The study was done to determine the extent of coronal tissue loss of endodontically treated teeth. Results: 176 teeth of 168 patients that completed endodontic treatment to obturation stage were evaluated for coronal tissue loss. The teeth included fifty-five anterior teeth (31.3%), seventy-three premolars (41.5%) and forty-eight molars (27.3%). Majority (43.2%) of the root filled teeth evaluated for coronal damage had minimal coronal tissue damage, followed by teeth with significant tissue damage (33.5%), and lastly, teeth with moderate tissue damage (23.3%). Conclusions: The result of this study revealed that most endodontically treated teeth had minimal coronal tissue loss and therefore can be managed with conservative restorative treatment options. Keywords: coronal tissue loss, endodontically treated teeth Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 5(1) 2006: 72-7

Repair of Defective Composite Resin Restoration: Current Trend among Conservative Dentists in Nigeria

Background: Repair of defective composite resins restorations is being increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to replacement. there is however no consensus yet on the treatment protocol.Objective: To determine the views and practice of specialists in Conservative Dentistry in Nigeria as regard to repair procedure of defective composite resin restorations.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among conservative dentists in Nigeria using anonymous structured and open-ended questionnaire as instrument for data collection. the data collected were: socio demographic variables; views and practice of the respondents as regards the indications, benefits and longevity of composite resins repair treatment option and type of surface preparation usually employed. summary statistics was performed.Results: The respondents comprise 9 (37.5%) males and 15 (62.5%) females. Marginal defect (91.7%) was the strongest indication and preservation of tooth structure (95.8%) was regarded as the topmost benefit. majority of the respondents (75.0%) considered repair procedure as a definitive treatment and etching with phosphoric acid was the most utilized surface preparation (87.5%)Conclusion: The views and practice of the respondents is in the literature.Keywords: Resin composites, repair, defectiv

Dimensional stability of alginate impressiion material over a four hours time frame

No Abstract. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol. 17 (1) 2007: pp. 1-

Fixed Bridge Prostheses Management of Epileptic Patients

Background: Epileptic patients in the course of seizures may suffer damage to or loss of teeth and other oral tissues. Moreover, they are at great risk during their seizures from aspiration of foreign bodies such as removable dental prosthesis or fragments of prosthesis. It is therefore, necessary to provide them a tooth replacement option that would be safe and not constitute a source of danger in the course of seizures.Case Reports: Two patients are presented in this report that lost teeth as a consequence of trauma sustained during seizures. They both had porcelain-fused-to-metal (ceramo-metal) fixed bridge prostheses fitted to replace the missing teeth. The fixed bridges have been in service for seven years without damage despite the fact that the patients still have seizures at the same frequency as prior to treatment that are often associated with trauma to oral tissues.Conclusion: Fixed bridge prostheses are a viable tooth replacement option for epileptic patients that do not pose any additional danger of being dislodged, swallowed or aspirated in the course of a seizure.Keywords: Epilepsy, dental management, fixed bridge prosthesi