Flexural strength and degree of conversion of universal single shade resin-based composites.

Background/purpose: Recently, a group of universal single-shade resin-based composites (RBCs) has been developed to simplify the process of shade selection. Excellent mechanical and physical properties are crucial for the ultimate success and clinical longevity of restorations. Therefore, evaluating the properties of the single-shaded RBCs is imperative.

Effect of different finishing and polishing systems on surface properties of universal single shade resin-based composites.

Background: Recently, universal single-shade resin composites have become increasingly available in the dental market. The modification of their composition can have an inadvertent effect on their physical and surface properties, and subsequently determinantal effect on their clinical function and longevity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different finishing and polishing (F/P) systems on surface roughness (Ra), surface gloss (GU), and Vickers microhardness (VMH) of universal single-shade RBCs.

Simulated skill complexity and perceived cognitive load during preclinical dental training.

Introduction: Cognitive Load theory (CLT) focuses on the information processing aspect of learning and how the working memory handles the mental effort associated with new task. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the perceived cognitive load and performance amongst dental students during preclinical simulation training at various levels of procedural task complexity. Additionally, some cognitive load-modifying factors were examined.

Do Self-adhesive Resin Composites Release More Monomers? A Comparative High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis.

Purpose: To comparatively evaluate the elution of residual monomers (bis-GMA, bis-EMA, TEG-DMA, and HEMA) from two self-adhesive flowable resin composites, a giomer, and a nano-flowable resin composite over five different time intervals, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Materials And Methods: Four flowable resin composites were investigated (Vertise Flow, Constic, Beautifil Flow Plus F03, and Filtek Z350 XT). Immediately after polymerization, each sample was immersed in 75% ethanol/water solution and stored in amber-colored bottles at room temperature.

Comparative evaluation of Rheological characteristics of Giomers and other Nano-flowable resin composites .

Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine the viscoelastic properties of a group of commercially available nano-flowable resin composites; and to explore the relation between these properties and the materials' composition (with/without fluoride), filler size description (nano-filled, nanohybrid and submicron-filled) and filler loading (by volume).

Methods: Rheological measurements were performed using a rheometer. A Dynamic frequency sweep test was conducted to evaluate the complex viscosity, storage and loss moduli, loss tangent, and complex shear modulus at an angular frequency () of 0.

The utility of haptic simulation in early restorative dental training: A scoping review.

Background: Haptic dental simulators are becoming increasingly available in dental schools around the world; however, there is a paucity of evidence on their pedagogical effectiveness particularly in early dental training for the acquisition of the highly specific fine motor dental skills.

Methods: A scoping review was performed to broadly map the available evidence and to detect knowledge gaps on the utility of haptic dental simulation in early dental training. The review is reported using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Early assessment with a virtual reality haptic simulator predicts performance in clinical practice.

Background: Prediction of clinical training aptitude in medicine and dentistry is largely driven by measures of a student's intellectual capabilities. The measurement of sensorimotor ability has lagged behind, despite being a key constraint for safe and efficient practice in procedure-based medical specialties. Virtual reality (VR) haptic simulators, systems able to provide objective measures of sensorimotor performance, are beginning to establish their utility in facilitating sensorimotor skill acquisition, and it is possible that they may also inform the prediction of clinical performance.

Drilling into the functional significance of stereopsis: the impact of stereoscopic information on surgical performance.

Purpose: One suggested advantage of human binocular vision is the facilitation of sophisticated motor control behaviours via stereopsis - but little empirical evidence exists to support this suggestion. We examined the functional significance of stereopsis by exploring whether stereopsis is used to perform a highly skilled real-world motor task essential for the occupational practice of dentistry.

Methods: We used a high fidelity virtual reality simulator to study how dentists' performance is affected by the removal of horizontal retinal image disparities under direct and indirect (mirror) observation.

Learning style preferences of first-year dental students at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: influence of gender and GPA.

The aim of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of a group of first-year dental students and their relation to gender and past academic performance. A total of 113 first-year dental students (forty-two female, seventy-one male) at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated. The Visual, Aural, Read-write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire was used to determine the students' preferred mode of learning.