Assessment of isthmus filling using two obturation techniques performed by students with different levels of clinical experience.

Background/purpose: Root canal filling is a necessary skill for dental students and an important aspect of endodontic education. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of students' clinical experiences on isthmus filling using different techniques and sealers.

Materials And Methods: One hundred eight three-dimensional-printed resin replicas of isthmus were divided into six groups and either continuous wave of condensation (CWC) or single-cone obturation (SC) was performed.

Influence of relative positions of the heat carrier and lateral canal opening on gutta-percha obturation of lateral canals in a three-dimensional-printed model.

Background/purpose: Effective filling of the lateral canals is of great significance in successful root canal treatment, but it is generally being challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of relative positions of the heat carrier and lateral canal opening on gutta-percha obturation of lateral canals in a three-dimensional (3D)-printed model.

Materials And Methods: Thermal conductivity and real-time temperature transmission of gutta-percha were investigated using laser flash and thermal infrared analyses.

[Antibacterial effect of self-etching adhesive systems on Streptococcus mutans].

Objective: To investigate the antibacterial effect of different self-etching adhesive systems against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).

Methods: Six reagents Clearfil(TM) SE Bond primer (SP), Clearfil(TM) SE Bond adhesive (SA),Clearfil(TM) Protect Bond primer (PP), which contained antibacterial monomer methacryloyloxydodecylpyridinium bromide (MDPB), ClearfilTM Protect Bond adhesive (PA), positive control chlorhexidine acetate [CHX, 1% (mass fraction)], and negative control phosphate buffer solution (PBS) were selected.

[Identification of Streptococcus mutans in carious patients' saliva samples by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry].

Objective: To identify Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in carious patients' saliva using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and to establish a faster and more accurate method to identify S. mutans.