Journal of oral rehabilitation
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Comparative Study
Comparison of the reliability of laser Doppler flowmetry, pulse oximetry and electric pulp tester in assessing the pulp vitality of human teeth.
This study was designed to evaluate and compare the reliability of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), pulse oximetry (PO) and electric pulp tester (EPT) for assessing the pulpal status as a vitality test method by calculating their sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. Data were collected from 59 pairs of maxillary anterior teeth (38 pairs of central, 21 pairs of lateral incisors) in 51 patients (range 12-18years, mean age 14·6±1·73years, 28 women, 23 men). The teeth with complete endodontic fillings constituted the study group, and the healthy, contralateral teeth of the same patients were constituted the control group. ⋯ The difference between the LDF values obtained from the study, and control group was statistically significant (P=0·0001). The findings of this study indicated that LDF can reliably discriminate the vitality of the teeth with a sensitivity and specificity of 1·0 for this sample. Laser Doppler flowmetry was found to be a more reliable and effective method than PO and EPT of assessing the pulpal status of human teeth.
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Review
Temporomandibular disorders assessment: medicolegal considerations in the evidence-based era.
Summary Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a frequent finding in cases of facial trauma or dental malpractice, and legal claims for TMD damage have been increased over the years. Temporomandibular disorders assessment in the medical legal setting is complicated by the peculiarities of these disorders, whose symptoms are heterogeneous, fluctuant, and recognise a multifactorial origin. A systematic Medline search in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database pointed out that, despite the medical legal aspects of the dental profession are gaining a growing attention, there is a paucity of literature dealing with patients with TMD assessment. For these reasons, evidence-based knowledge in the field of TMD diagnosis and treatment was summarised in this article with the aim of providing useful suggestions for a medical legal approach to TMD.
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Comparative Study
Attitudes of some European dental undergraduate students to the placement of direct restorative materials in posterior teeth.
The aim of this article was to report on the attitudes, opinions and confidences of final year dental students in three European schools towards the restoration of posterior teeth and in particular towards the use of amalgam and resin composite. One hundred and twenty-eight pre-piloted questionnaires were distributed to final year dental students in Cardiff, Dublin and Malmö. The questionnaire sought information relating to various opinions and attitudes towards the use of amalgam and resin composite in posterior teeth. ⋯ Students at Malmö report that they place more posterior resin composites and have greater confidence at placing posterior resin composites than students at Cardiff or Dublin. There was confusion relating to the choice of restorative materials for pregnant females. Large variations in restorative strategies among graduates must be considered as dental professionals can practice in all countries within the European Union.
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Multicenter Study
Some remarks on the RDC/TMD Validation Project: report of an IADR/Toronto-2008 workshop discussion.
A large-scale, multi-site study has been performed to examine the reliability and validity of the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) and to suggest revisions of the current RDC/TMD. During an International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Workshop in July 2008, preliminary results of this RDC/TMD Validation Project were presented. One of us was invited to be the critical discussant of the Workshop session in which the Study Group's papers were presented. ⋯ Further, to come to a revised RDC/TMD, it is crucial to know not only how the test outcomes are capable of discriminating between patients with TMD pain and pain-free subjects, as studied in this Validation Project, but also, more importantly, how they discriminate between patients with TMD pain and patients with oro-facial pain (OFP) complaints of non-TMD origin. We welcome the suggestion of an international expert panel to consider, deliberate, and reach consensus on a revised version of the RDC/TMD. Finally, we agree that the suggested expansions of the RDC/TMD taxonomy stress the need for the development of an RDC for OFP, which would include, as an integral part, the revised RDC/TMD.
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The research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) have been employed internationally since 1992 for the study of temporomandibular muscle and joint disorders (TMD). This diagnostic protocol incorporates a dual system for assessment of TMD for Axis I physical diagnoses as well as Axis II psychological status and pain-related disability. ⋯ The results of this multi-site collaboration involving the University of Minnesota, the University of Washington, and the University at Buffalo were first reported at a pre-session workshop of the Toronto general session of the International Association of Dental Research on 2 July 2008. Summaries of five reports from this meeting are presented in this paper including: (i) reliability of RDC/TMD Axis I diagnoses based on clinical signs and symptoms; (ii) reliability of radiographic interpretations used for RDC/TMD Axis I diagnoses; (iii) reliability of self-report data used for RDC/TMD Axis I diagnoses; (iv) validity of RDC/TMD Axis I diagnoses based on clinical signs and symptoms; and (v) proposed revisions of the RDC/TMD Axis I diagnostic algorithms.