A novel approach for effective integration of new faculty leadership.

Purpose: We report on an accelerated and effective way of assimilating a new leader into a team at a large academic dental school department.

Methods: At University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a new Chair was recruited through a national search to lead its largest department in the School of Dentistry. Two months after arrival, the new Chair embarked on a process of leadership assimilation among her executive team, facilitated by a professional consultant.

Laser all-ceramic crown removal-a laboratory proof-of-principle study-phase 2 crown debonding time.

Background And Objectives: The removal of all-ceramic crowns is a time consuming procedure in the dental office. Little research has been done in alternative removal techniques for all-ceramic crowns. The objective of the second phase of this proof-of-principle laboratory pilot study was to evaluate whether Ivoclar Vivadent all-ceramic crowns can be efficiently removed from natural teeth without damage to the underlying tooth structure using an Erbium laser.

Laser all-ceramic crown removal-a laboratory proof-of-principle study-phase 1 material characteristics.

Background And Objectives: The removal of all-ceramic crowns is a time consuming and destructive procedure in the dental office. The removal of all-ceramic crowns using Er:YAG lasers has not been previously described in the scientific literature. The objective of this laboratory proof-of-principle study was to evaluate whether with regards to absorption and transmission characteristics of bonding cements and ceramics all-ceramic crowns can be removed from natural teeth using an Erbium laser.

Assessing fit at the implant-abutment junction with a radiographic device that does not require access to the implant body.

Statement Of Problem: Radiograph paralleling devices provide an excellent means of obtaining orthogonal radiographs for the evaluation of the fit of implant restorations. Unfortunately, the clinical applicability of such devices is a significant issue because access to the implant body must be obtained at each radiographic appointment.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the fit or microgap at the implant-abutment junction could be more accurately and confidently assessed with a novel radiograph paralleling device that did not require access to the implant body once a proper registration index was made.

A radiograph positioning technique to evaluate prosthetic misfit and bone loss around implants.

A radiograph positioning device was developed to fit with commercially available film holders and implant systems. The device is indexed to the dental implant body and the adjacent dentition by using an implant placement driver and polyvinyl siloxane occlusal registration material. By fitting the device to a conventional film holder, accurate orthogonal radiographs can monitor changes in bone architecture and prosthetic misfit.

The effect of E-glass fibers and acrylic resin thickness on fracture load in a simulated implant-supported overdenture prosthesis.

Statement Of Problem: Implant overdenture prostheses are prone to acrylic resin fracture because of space limitations around the implant overdenture components.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of E-glass fibers and acrylic resin thickness in resisting acrylic resin fracture around a simulated overdenture abutment.

Material And Methods: A model was developed to simulate the clinical situation of an implant overdenture abutment with varying acrylic resin thickness (1.

Er:YAG laser debonding of porcelain veneers.

Background And Objectives: The removal of porcelain veneers using Er:YAG lasers has not been previously described in the scientific literature. This study was designed to systematically investigate the efficacy of an Er:YAG laser on veneer debonding, possibly without damage to the underlying tooth, and preservation of the veneer integrity.

Study Design/materials And Methods: The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used on 10 flat veneer samples (IPS Empress Esthetic, e.

The effects of an airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating on the bond strength between grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders and provisional veneering materials.

Statement Of Problem: Even though mechanical retentive features, such as grooves, are incorporated into the surface of titanium alloy temporary cylinders, a reliable bond to veneering provisional materials is not always achievable for screw-retained provisional implant restorations. There is insufficient information about the effect of tribochemical silica coating on the bond strength between provisional materials and grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the effect of an airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating technique on the bond strength between grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders and provisional veneering bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate and polymethyl methacrylate materials.

The use of dental implants to improve quality of life for edentulous patients.

The number of edentulous patients in the United States requiring prosthodontic care is projected to increase in the next 20 years. Awareness of the restorative options to manage edentulous patients will become increasingly important to all dental practitioners. The authors' purpose is to sensitize the reader to the functional deficit in the completely edentulous patient and how restorative approaches with implants can improve patient reports of function and quality of life.

Transitioning patients: teeth to implants.

The transition of patients from a dentate state to an implant-supported restoration requires significant planning. Traditionally, protocols have included the extraction of teeth and interim use of a removable prosthesis. Newer protocols include approaches to decrease the period of time a patient is required to use a traditional denture.

Dental students' self-assessment of preclinical examinations.

Accurate self-assessment is an important attribute for practicing dentists and, therefore, an important skill to develop in dental students. Our purpose was to examine the relationship between faculty and student assessments of preclinical prosthodontic procedures. Seventy-six second-year students completed two consecutive examinations and two self-assessments.

Correlation of admissions criteria with academic performance in dental students.

Our purpose was to compare admissions criteria as predictors of dental school performance in underachieving and normally tracking dental students. Underachieving dental students were identified by selecting ten students with the lowest class grade point average following the first year of dental school from five classes, resulting in a pool of fifty students. Normally tracking students served as a control and were randomly selected from students who had completed their first year of dental school not in the underachieving group.

The correlation of student performance in preclinical and clinical prosthodontic assessments.

Tracking student performance in preclinical and clinical courses can be helpful in developing and refining a curriculum. Our objective was to correlate student performance on three fixed prosthodontic examinations taken by eighty junior dental students. Examinations included a knowledge-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), a manual skills exercise completed on a typodont (Typodont), and a competency casting exam (Casting CE) on a patient.

Complications associated with fixed partial dentures with a loose retainer.

Statement Of Problem: When 1 retainer of a definitive fixed partial denture (FPD) becomes loose, the clinician has the option of either sectioning and removing the FPD or attempting removal of the intact cemented retainer. Excessive force during attempted FPD removal may irreversibly damage dentition.

Purpose: This study evaluated the type and frequency of complications that may accompany the removal of definitive cemented FPDs with a single loose retainer.