Publications by authors named "Lucian-Toma Ciocan"

In contemporary dentistry, several 3D printing techniques, including a stereolithography apparatus (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), liquid crystal display (LCD), and PolyJet 3D inkjet printing technology (PolyJet), are employed for model production. Despite their widespread use, there remains a paucity of the literature regarding the trueness and precision of these devices in dental applications. Existing studies comparing the accuracy of dental models manufactured by different printing technologies yield disparate conclusions regarding dental prosthesis manufacturing.

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(1) Background: Intraoral scanners undergo rapid advancements in hardware and software, prompting frequent updates by manufacturers. (2) Aim: This study aimed to quantitatively assess the precision of full dental arch digital impressions obtained from four different intraoral scanners: Trios 5-3SHAPE, Copenhagen, Denmark, CEREC Primescan- Dentsply Sirona, New York, NY, USA, Planmeca Emerald S-Planmeca Oy, Helsinki, Finland, and Medit i700-Medit Corp, Seoul, Republic of Korea. (3) Methods: A maxillary virtual dental model (digital master model) was created in accordance with ISO standard 20896-1.

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The proposed strategy for the extrusion of printable composite filaments follows the favourable association of biogenic hydroxyapatite (HA) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) as reinforcement materials for a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix. HA particles were chosen in the <40 μm range, while GNP were selected in the micrometric range. During the melt-mixing incorporation into the PLA matrix, both reinforcement ratios were simultaneously modulated for the first time at different increments.

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This study explores the potential utilization of walstromite (BaCaSiO) as a foundational material for creating new bioceramics in the form of scaffolds through 3D printing technology. To achieve this objective, this study investigates the chemical-mineralogical, morphological, and structural characteristics, as well as the biological properties, of walstromite-based bioceramics. The precursor mixture for walstromite synthesis is prepared through the sol-gel method, utilizing pure reagents.

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Especially in molars that may have sometimes aberrant additional root canals, the complexity of tooth internal morphology in individual cases sometimes does not match to admitted classification rules and underlines the risk of missed anatomy during the endodontic management. To our knowledge, a permanent mandibular second molar with independent five roots, three mesial and two distal, each of them harboring a single canal, was not yet reported. Despite the treatment difficulties this tooth could be successfully approached by using dental operative microscope and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) with small field of view.

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Bone graft materials are more and more frequently used in dentistry for improving the periodontal support and for creating a bone support favorable for the insertion of dental implants. The experimental study carried out on laboratory animals aimed to evaluate the biocompatibility and the manner of integration of an experimental bone augmentation material, based on hydroxyapatite (HAp), reinforced with titanium-based particles by comparison with a commercial synthetic graft material already existing on the profile market, also based on HAp. We noticed a common pattern of evolution, although there were differences related to the speed of new bone tissue formation and implicitly the morphological elements captured at the two moments of time.

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This study aims to assess the conversion degree and hardness behavior of two new commercial dental restorative composites that have been submitted to light curing in different environments (air and glycerin, respectively) at various distances from the light source (1 to 5 mm) and to better understand the influence of the preparation conditions of the restorative materials. Through FT-IR spectrometry, the crosslinking degree of the commercial restorative materials have been investigated and different conversion values were obtained (from ~17% to ~90%) but more importantly, it was shown that the polymerization environment exhibits a significant influence on the crosslinking degree of the resin-based composites especially for obtaining degrees of higher polymerization. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the restorative materials were studied using the nanoindentation technique showing that the nano-hardness behavior is strongly influenced not only by the polymerization lamp position, but also by the chemical structure of the materials and polymerization conditions.

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The surface physico-chemistry of metallic implants governs their successful long-term functionality for orthopedic and dentistry applications. Here, we investigated the feasibility of harmoniously combining two of the star materials currently employed in bone treatment/restoration, namely, calcium-phosphate-based bioceramics (in the form of coatings that have the capacity to enhance osseointegration) and titanium alloys (used as bulk implant materials due to their mechanical performance and lack of systemic toxicity). For the first time, bovine-bone-derived hydroxyapatite (BHA) was layered on top of Ti6Al4V substrates using powder injection laser cladding technology, and then subjected, in this first stage of the research, to an array of physical-chemical analyses.

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The intersection of the bone tissue reconstruction and additive manufacturing fields promoted the advancement to a prerequisite and new feedstock resource for high-performance bone-like-scaffolds manufacturing. In this paper, the proposed strategy was directed toward the use of bovine-bone-derived hydroxyapatite (HA) for surface properties enhancement and mechanical features reinforcement of the poly(lactic acid) matrix for composite filaments extrusion. The involvement of completely naturally derived materials in the technological process was based on factors such as sustainability, low cost, and a facile and green synthesis route.

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Mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) are widely recognized for their ability to bond to hard tissue, while the ions released from the BG structure enhance specific cellular pathways. In this study, the SiO-PO-CaO-MgO-ZnO system was used to successfully synthesize MBGNs by a microemulsion-assisted sol-gel method. The MBGNs calcinated at 600 °C/3 h had a typical phosphosilicate structure together with a poorly crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp).

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As bone diseases and defects are constantly increasing, the improvement of bone regeneration techniques is constantly evolving. The main purpose of this scientific study was to obtain and investigate biomaterials that can be used in tissue engineering. In this respect, nanocomposite inks of GelMA modified with hydroxyapatite (HA) substituted with Mg and Zn were developed.

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For more than five decades, alkali niobate-based materials (KNaNbO) have been one of the most promising lead-free piezoelectric materials researched to be used in electronics, photocatalysis, energy storage/conversion and medical applications, due to their important health and environmentally friendly nature. In this paper, our strategy was to synthetize the nearest reproductible composition to KNaNbO (KNN) with = 0.5, placed at the limit of the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) with the presence of both polymorphic phases, orthorhombic and tetragonal.

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Dental pulp vitality preservation in dental caries treatment is a major goal in odontotherapy. The main objective of this study was to compare dental pulp tissue responses to vital therapies in deep carious lesions, using different calcium-based materials. An ambispective study was conducted on 47 patients.

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This study aimed to assess the in vitro biocompatibility of titanium (Ti) alloy orthodontic mini-implants by correlating human osteoblasts (HOb) response with chemical composition and surface morphology of mini-implants. HOb were cultivated with or without custom-made and commercial mini-implants, discs and filings. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the implants were assessed under the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis system.

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The tremendous technological and dental material progress led to a progressive advancement of treatment technologies and materials in restorative dentistry and prosthodontics. In this approach, CAD/CAM restorations have proven to be valuable restorative dental materials in both provisional and definitive restoration, owing to multifarious design, improved and highly tunable mechanical, physical and morphological properties. Thus far, the dentistry market offers a wide range of CAD/CAM restorative dental materials with highly sophisticated design and proper characteristics for a particular clinical problem or multiple dentistry purposes.

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This research focused on the synthesis of apatite, starting from a natural biogenic calcium source (egg-shells) and its chemical and morpho-structural characterization in comparison with two commercial xenografts used as a bone substitute in dentistry. The synthesis route for the hydroxyapatite powder was the microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique, starting from annealed egg-shells as the precursor for lime and di-base ammonium phosphate as the phosphate precursor. The powders were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and cytotoxicity assay in contact with amniotic fluid stem cell (AFSC) cultures.

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A successful bone-graft-controlled healing entails the development of novel products with tunable compositional and architectural features and mechanical performances and is, thereby, able to accommodate fast bone in-growth and remodeling. To this effect, graphene nanoplatelets and -fibers were chosen as mechanical reinforcement phase and sacrificial template, respectively, and incorporated into a hydroxyapatite and brushite matrix derived by marble conversion with the help of a reproducible technology. The bio-products, framed by a one-stage-addition polymer-free fabrication route, were thoroughly physico-chemically investigated (by XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and nano-computed tomography analysis, as well as surface energy measurements and mechanical performance assessments) after sintering in air or nitrogen ambient.

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Article Synopsis
  • The bone remodeling field is focusing on developing products with internal architectures that encourage quick cell colonization and exhibit strong mechanical performance.
  • In this paper, -fibers and graphene nanoplatelets are introduced as a porogen template and mechanical reinforcement in creating 3D structures via a polymer-free process.
  • The experiments show that incorporating graphene and -fibers enhances the micro-porosity and mechanical properties of the materials, with optimal results achieved when the graphene content is less than 1 wt.%, making these structures suitable for biomedical applications.
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Calcium phosphates (CPs) used as biomaterials have been intensively studied in recent years. In most studies, the determination of the chemical composition is mandatory. Due to the versatility and possibilities of performing qualitative and quantitative compositional analyses, energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) is a widely used technique in this regard.

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The bioactivity of scaffolds represents a key property to facilitate the bone repair after orthopedic trauma. This study reports the development of biomimetic paste-type inks based on wollastonite (CS) and fish gelatin (FG) in a mass ratio similar to natural bone, as an appealing strategy to promote the mineralization during scaffold incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF). High-resolution 3D scaffolds were fabricated through 3D printing, and the homogeneous distribution of CS in the protein matrix was revealed by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction analysis (SEM/EDX) micrographs.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focused on creating ZnO and Co/Mg-doped ZnO thin films on TiAlV alloy substrates to enhance biocompatibility and antibacterial properties for use in implants.
  • - The films were produced through spin coating and thermal treatment at 600 °C, with a doping ion concentration of 1.0 mol%, and were characterized for various properties including microstructure and antibacterial activity.
  • - Results indicated that the thin films possessed a nanostructured form, demonstrating strong antibacterial effects and supporting cell adhesion and growth, with these properties varying based on the type of doping ions used.
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This article presents a facile synthesis method used to obtain new composite films based on polylactic acid and micro-structured hydroxyapatite particles. The composite films were synthesized starting from a polymeric solution in chloroform (12 wt.%) in which various concentrations of hydroxyapatite (1, 2, and 4 wt.

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This study proposed to evaluate the surface morphology of different types of orthodontic brackets and the characteristics of their adhesion to the tooth enamel. There have been taken into study six metallic, five ceramic and one polymeric bracket from different brands (Ormco, Lancer, Leone, Damon, 3M, Ultradent, American Orthodontics, Rocky Mountain). The surface base of the each bracket it have been ESEM analyzed using scanning electron microscope Phillips XL-30 ESEM.

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