Activated Charcoal Dental Products: Evidence of Effectiveness Is Lacking.

With society trending toward the avoidance of artificial components, so-called "natural" products have been gaining space and people's attention in recent years. Activated charcoal-based dental products are a prominent example of this movement because of their promise of removal of extrinsic stains or whitening of teeth by a natural means. Such products have gained popularity among patients, and companies have explored this market, launching charcoal-based and activated charcoal-based dentifrices, mouthrinses, toothbrushes, and whitening products that can be easily found at nearby stores and on the internet.

Current Concepts and Best Evidence on Strategies to Prevent Dental Erosion.

Dental erosion is a multifactorial condition associated with chemical, biological, and behavioral factors whereby a non-bacterial chemical process leads to an irreversible loss of dental structure. Consequences of this erosive process include painful sensitivity, susceptibility to further erosion, mechanical wear, changes in occlusion, exposure of dental pulp, and poor esthetics. Substantial evidence has revealed new insights to diagnosing early stages of dental erosion and enabling novel preventive approaches to control its progression.

The dental curing light: A potential health risk.

Powerful blue-light emitting dental curing lights are used in dental offices to photocure resins in the mouth. In addition, many dental personnel use magnification loupes. This study measured the effect of magnification loupes on the "blue light hazard" when the light from a dental curing light was reflected off a human tooth.

Effects of water-aging on self-healing dental composite containing microcapsules.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to develop a self-healing dental composite containing poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) shells with triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and N,N-dihydroxyethyl-p-toluidine (DHEPT) as healing liquid, and to investigate the mechanical properties of the composite and its self-healing efficacy after water-aging for 6 months.

Methods: PUF microspheres were synthesized encapsulating a TEGDMA-DHEPT healing liquid. Composite containing 30% of a resin matrix and 70% of glass fillers by mass was incorporated with 0%, 2.

Using fiber-optic transillumination as a diagnostic aid in dental practice.

Fiber-optic transillumination (FOTI) is a well-accepted and valuable adjunctive diagnostic tool with a wide range of clinical applications. In dentistry, FOTI has been primarily associated with caries diagnosis and has been corroborated through research studies to be a valid indicator of the histological presence or absence of bacterially infected tooth structure. In this review, techniques for using FOTI for tooth evaluation are presented along with examples of how FOTI can be effectively used as a supplemental diagnostic aid.

The effectiveness of using a patient simulator to teach light-curing skills.

Background: The authors evaluated the effectiveness of using a patient simulator (MARC Patient Simulator [MARC PS], BlueLight analytics, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), to instruct dental students (DS) on how to deliver energy optimally to a restoration from a curing light. Five months later, the authors evaluated the retention of the instruction provided to the DS.

Methods: Toward the end of the DS' first year of dental education, the authors evaluated the light-curing techniques of one-half of the class of first-year DS (Group 1) before and after receiving instruction by means of the patient simulator.

Fixed prosthodontics provisional materials: making the right selection.

Clinicians have many choices when selecting an appropriate material for interim restorations for both single crowns and multi-units. Interim restorations serve as a diagnostic as well as biologic and biomechanical component of fixed prosthodontics treatment; in the anterior, they are also important in evaluating the esthetics for the definitive restoration. Factors to be considered when choosing provisional materials are physical properties, handling characteristics, patient response to the appearance of the interim restoration, durability of the restoration, and the cost of the material.

Technology-enhanced caries detection and diagnosis.

The prevalence of dental caries in children and adults in the United States has been declining the past 40 years primarily because of increased use of fluoride, improved oral hygiene and better oral hygiene devices, a greater emphasis on disease prevention and control, and better access to dental care made available by the dental profession. Caries diagnosis and detection for pit-and-fissure lesions has changed dramatically in the past 25 years. Research has confirmed that the carious process is bacterially mediated and is accompanied by changes in salivary flow and pH and the intake of refined carbohydrates.

Joining the podcast revolution.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the latest generation of web-based tools such as podcasts. Podcasts are media files that can be distributed via the Internet and played on computers and handheld devices, including iPods or other digital audio players. The essence of podcasting is the creation of audio and/or video content for an audience that wants to listen to what they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want.

Minimally invasive porcelain veneers: indications for a conservative esthetic dentistry treatment modality.

Patients have many restorative options for changing the appearance of their teeth. The most conservative restorative treatments for changing the appearance of teeth include tooth bleaching, direct composite resin veneers, and porcelain veneers. Patients seeking esthetic treatment should undergo a comprehensive clinical examination that includes an esthetic evaluation.