The placement site of electric pulp tester (EPT) probe on the tooth affects the threshold values obtained. The aim of this study was to determine and compare threshold levels and appropriate placement sites for EPT probe on fluorotic and normal teeth. Equal numbers of fluorotic and non-fluorotic maxillary central incisors of 40 subjects were assessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Teeth extraction is an important problem in elder patients. Although some of these teeth have been endodontically treated, many of them may be subjected to extraction. The reasons for extraction are important for prevention planning in further patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To assess the knowledge of Nigerian dentists regarding dentine hypersensitivity (DH) and their methods of diagnosis and management.
Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of dentists practicing in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria was conducted. The questionnaire focussed on participant's demography, exposure to patients with DH, knowledge-based questions, diagnosis and management of DH.
Aim: To investigate the pattern of routine endodontic practices among Nigerian dentists.
Materials And Methods: This study was a questionnaire-based survey of samples of dentists in the Nigerian cities of Enugu and Benin. The self-administered questionnaire contained 25 close-ended questions with multiple choice options.
Management protocols for avulsed teeth should include management of the pulp and periodontal ligament (PDL) cells in order to improve the long-term prognosis and survival of these teeth. The use of an inappropriate transport or storage medium potentially increases the risk of PDL cell necrosis, which can result in ankylosis and replacement resorption of the tooth root. Considering the critical role of these media, an informed choice of a suitable medium is essential for a favourable outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Contemp Dent Pract
July 2011
Aim: The study highlighted the effect of patient-related factors on levels of pain felt by subjects during root canal treatment, as well as the association between treatment duration and pain severity.
Materials And Methods: Maxillary central incisors with either necrotic pulp or irreversibly inflamed pulp, with or without preoperative pain were studied in 160 subjects aged 18 years and above. Subject's age and gender as well as pulp status and preoperative pain status were recorded.
Aim: To determine the incidence of flare-up and the effect of age, gender, visit type, treatment duration, preoperative pain and intraoperative pain on flare-up in Nigerian adults.
Materials And Methods: A total of 175 participants, aged 18 to 60 years with a necrotic central incisor, with or without preoperative pain, participated. They received postoperative paracetamol tablets and were asked to report back if unbearable pain/swelling developed.
Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the causes and patterns of tooth loss among Nigerian adults.
Background: Tooth loss continues to be a major problem in clinical dentistry and has received significant attention in everyday dental practice. In Nigeria there is a discernible lack of current data that would explain the reasons and patterns of tooth loss from its different geopolitical zones.
Electric pulp testing is one of the pulp vitality tests which aid dentists in diagnosis of the pulp status. This test is technique sensitive and hence may elicit false responses. There are some concerns regarding the optimal placement of the probe tip.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, we surveyed the attitudes toward, knowledge of, and use of rubber dams (RDs) among dentists in southern Nigeria. The questionnaire, which was distributed and collected by one of the authors, requested information on the dentists' background characteristics, attitudes, and knowledge. Data were analyzed with SPSS, and the chi-square was used to assess differences in categorical variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDilaceration is the result of a developmental anomaly in which an abrupt change in the axial inclination between crown and root is observed. Its prevalence in various races is different and its association with history of trauma is controversial. This study assessed the prevalence and distribution of dilacerated teeth among Nigerians and also investigated whether there was a relation between a history of trauma and teeth that had dilaceration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study highlighted the characteristics and distribution of cracked tooth syndrome (CTS) and the associated factors in adult attendees in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Three hundred seventy patients aged 18 years to 77 years with CTS-like conditions were included and studied over 12 months. The following information was recorded: suspected tooth and the dental arch, restorative status of the tooth, age and sex of the patient, results of bite test and transillumination, and the pulpal and periapical status of the tooth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTeeth with vital pulp are those with an adequate vascular supply, so the circulatory status, and not sensitivity response of the pulp tissue, has been proposed to assess pulp vitality. Some experimental methods have been used to assess this; one of them is the measurement of tooth temperature, which may indicate the pulp vasculature. Some authors have found no differences between the temperatures of teeth with vital and nonvital pulp; however, others found that teeth with nonvital pulp have lower temperatures than teeth with vital pulp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the present study is to evaluate the levels of dental anxiety among patients undergoing various dental treatments and to compare the anxiety levels with those of similar studies conducted with subjects from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Dental anxiety was evaluated by the administration of a questionnaire based on the Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). Student t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferoni correction was employed to compare the mean DAS scores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND: Until recently the most accepted technique of doing root canal treatment stresses multiple visit procedure. Most schools also concentrated upon teaching the multi-visit concept. However, it has now been reported that the procedure of single visit treatment is advocated by at least 70% of schools in all geographical areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF