Three-year clinical evaluation of two flowable composites.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of two flowable composite resins used to restore occlusal caries lesions. Tetric Flow (Vivadent) and Esthet-X Flow (Dentsply/Caulk) are composite resins with decreased filler loading (Tetric Flow: 67% filler by weight, 43% by volume; Esthet-X Flow: 61% filler by weight, 53% by volume) and lower viscosity compared to conventional composite resins.

Method And Materials: Sixty-three teeth with occlusal caries were randomly assigned to calibrated practitioners who placed occlusal restorations (32 for Esthet-X Flow; 31 for Tetric Flow).

Evaluation of 30% carbamide peroxide at-home bleaching gels with and without potassium nitrate--a pilot study.

Objectives: This double-blind study examined the bleaching effectiveness of two 30% carbamide peroxide bleaching gels: one with 5% potassium nitrate (treatment A) and one without (treatment B). The treatment time was reduced for this pilot study to one hour per day for 10 days to determine whether the higher concentration would whiten teeth and to ascertain the tooth sensitivity and gingival effects of the 30% solution.

Method And Materials: Forty subjects were selected with an initial tooth shade corresponding to Bioform shade guide B65 or darker.

Adhesive cementation of chairside CAD/CAM inlays and onlays.

Chairside CAD/CAM restorations offer aesthetic, functional, biocompatible, and long-term successful alternatives to traditional materials and techniques, and can be fabricated in one appointment. Adhesive cementation is key for the long-term clinical success of CAD/CAM inlays and onlays. The clinical use of a newly developed composite resin cement for adhesive cementation of CAD/CAM inlays/onlays has been described.

Two-year clinical evaluation of a posterior resin composite using a fourth- and fifth-generation bonding agent.

This study evaluated the clinical performance of a posterior resin composite used with a fourth- and fifth-generation bonding agent. Sixty-two Class I and II restorations were placed with half the restorations restored with Gluma Solid Bond (a fourth-generation bonding system, or total etch two-step system) and the other half restored with Gluma Comfort Bond and Desensitizer (a fifth-generation bonding system, or total etch one-step system). Solitaire 2 was used as the restorative material for all restorations.

Three-year clinical evaluation of a compomer and a resin composite as Class V filling materials.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the placement of two restorative materials, including a compomer (F2000, 3M ESPE) and a resin composite (Silux Plus, 3M ESPE), in non-carious cervical lesions using a self-etching bonding agent (F2000 self-etching primer/adhesive) and a fifth generation bonding agent (Single Bond, 3M ESPE) and to evaluate and compare these restorations for marginal discoloration, secondary caries, anatomical form, retention, surface texture and marginal adaptation at baseline and annually for three years. F2000 and Silux Plus were used to restore the teeth with moderate-sized non-carious cervical lesions. F2000 was placed using two different bonding agents: F2000 self-etching primer/adhesive (F2000SE group) and Single Bond (F2000SB group); Silux Plus was placed as a control using Single Bond (SiluxSB group).

Clinical evaluation of four Class 5 restorative materials: 3-year recall.

Purpose: To place four restorative materials, including two resin-based composites (Pertac III and Synergy), an improved resin-modified glass-ionomer (Fuji II LC Improved), and a compomer (Dyract AP), in Class 5 non-carious cervical lesions and to evaluate and compare those restorations for marginal discoloration, anatomic form, surface texture, secondary caries, retention, and marginal adaptation at baseline and annually for 3 years.

Methods: The tested materials were used to restore moderate-size Class 5 non-carious cervical lesions. All materials were used following the manufacturers' directions for etching, bonding, curing, and finishing.

Color stability of fluoride-containing restorative materials.

Six fluoride-releasing materials of shade A3 were tested: one glass ionomer (Fuji IX), one resin-modified glass ionomer (Photac-Fil), two compomers (F 2000 and Dyract AP) and two composites (Tetric Ceram and Solitaire). Disk-shaped specimens of each material were prepared according to manufacturer's instructions, polished and L*a*b* baseline measurements taken. Specimens were randomly divided into two groups and given four different treatments of UV light exposure and immersion in a staining solution.

An evaluation of four light-curing units comparing soft and hard curing.

Composite resin shrinks during polymerization producing marginal gaps around composite restorations. While incremental placement of composite resin has been used to control shrinkage, this technique is time consuming. Curing lights have been developed with varying outputs and curing cycles to speed curing and reduce marginal gaps in composite restorations.

Ambulatory care computerized patient record systems: benchmark security features and safeguards.

Computerized patient record systems require organizations to come to terms with issues such as privacy and confidentiality. The author describes the minimum privacy requirements and systems security features that ambulatory care CPR solutions should address.

Explorer sharpness as related to margin evaluations.

Nine experienced operative dentistry faculty each used six different explorers of varying degrees of sharpness ranging from new to well-used to evaluate marginal acceptability on a device used to simulate gradations of vertical opening. In this study, the standard for the sharpest explorer point was determined to be 68 microns in diameter measured 40 microns from the tip. There was a positive correlation between the diameter of the explorer tip at 40 microns and the mean amount of opening that could be detected until the margin was declared unacceptable.

Stereoscopic vision and psychomotor learning in dental students.

A testing mechanism is needed for reliably predicting students' problems in acquiring dental psychomotor skills. Students and dental educators could then be made aware of potential problems well in advance of required manual course work. Because testing for stereoscopic vision has long been a part of perceptual-motor ability screening for the U.