Santini Miletic Research Group: new website

The new website of the Santini Miletic Research Group is up and running. Please visit us at http://www.santinimiletic.com/

In addition to the short CVs of group members, there is a list of selected papers published recently in international peer-reviewed journals. There is also information on research facilities available to the Group and various methods of knowledge transfer.

Up-coming event

British Society for Dental Research Conference, Glasgow, Sept 1-4, 2009.

The keynote speakers are Professor Angus Walls, Professor of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University and Professor Iain McInnes, Professor of Experimental Medicine, Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow.

Professor Angus Walls' lecture - "The ageing population, opportunity or threat?"
Professor McInnes' lecture - "Immune complexity to novel therapy - promises for a new decade?"

The following symposia are scheduled:

- Non-shrink resin composites: Dream or reality?
Aim: This symposium examine current developments of resin-based restoratives, indicating the advantages and disadvantages of resin types routinely and review the most recent advancements in resin technology.
Speakers:
Professor Ric van Noort, University of Sheffield: Opening remarks
Dr Rainer Guggenberger, 3M/ESPE: The chemistry of new resin systems
Dr N Silikas University of Manchester: Measurement of shrinkage and contraction stress
Professor Tim Watson Kings College London: Quality of adhesion
Professor Trevor Burke University of Birmingham: Early thoughts of clinical experience

- Novel biomaterials - can the microenvironment be improved ?

- Childsmile a Scottish oral health programme for Scottish children: collaborations and innovative evaluations

- The oral microbiota and the link with systemic disease

A total of 228 studies will be presented at the conference and the complete programme can be downloaded from HERE.

The Santini Miletic Research Group will present a study entitled "The ratio of carbon-carbon double bonds in different BisGMA/HEMA mixtures". The poster will be uploaded to this blog after the conference.

IADR introduces official social networking platforms

Official IADR communities have been created on Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr to enhance communication between IADR members. Anyone can join. It's free. Click on each logo below for more.

One-step self-etch adhesive, Adhese One F

A new one-step self-etch adhesive, Adhese One F, manufactured by Ivoclar Vivadent has been sent to the Santini Miletic Research Group for scientific evaluation. The adhesive is based on previously developed Adhese One with the inclusion of potassium fluoride which is reported to act as a fluoride releasing agent. The manufacturer's internal data state that there is a cumulative fluoride release over a 6 day period.

Micro-Raman spectroscopic studies will be conducted to evaluate the ratio of carbon-carbon double bonds (RDB) of Adhese One F under different curing conditions. Furthermore, the adhesive-dentine interface will be characterised in terms of dentine demineralisation and adhesive penetration and the RDB across this interface.

A previous study has shown significantly lower RDB values for Adhese One in both the adhesive and the hybrid layer compared to Excite (etch-and-rinse) and Adhese (2-step self-etch). In another study, Adhese One produced a thinner hybrid layer compared to G Bond (1-step self-etch), Filtek Silorane adhesive system (2-step self-etch) and Excite

Santini A, Miletic V. Quantitative micro-Raman assessment of dentine demineralization, adhesive penetration, and degree of conversion of three dentine bonding systems. Eur J Oral Sci 2008;116(2):177-83. Abstract Full text available upon request.

Santini A, Miletic V. Comparison of the hybrid layer formed by Silorane adhesive, one-step self-etch and etch and rinse systems using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and SEM. J Dent 2008;36(9):683-91. Abstract Full text available upon request.

Poll for dentists and dental therapists

What type of adhesive system do you use in your practice?

Please, select one or more answers from the poll in the sidebar.

Adhesive systems are classified according to the number of clinical application steps and adhesion strategy. This is one of the most widely accepted classifications in both clinical practice and scientific literature.

Feel free to leave a comment about your experience with any particular adhesive system.

In clinical practice, I'm using a two-step etch-and-rinse system. In PhD research, I've studied the degree of conversion and elution of unreacted monomers from a wide range of adhesive systems. Some of these results have been published in scientific dental journals and some are in press and will be published soon.

Though one-step (all-in-one) self-etch systems are currently marketed, results from many in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that these systems often have inferior properties compared to two-step self-etch and etch-and-rinse systems.

Research: Portland cement, a possible substitute for MTA in pulpotomy of primary teeth

Pulpotomy of human primary molars with MTA and Portland cement: a randomised controlled trial
V. T. Sakai, A. B. S. Moretti, T. M. Oliveira, A. P. C. Fornetti, C. F. Santos, M. A. A. M. Machado & R. C. C. Abdo

British Dental Journal 207, E5 (2009) Published online: 24 July 2009 doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.665


Objective: This study compared the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and Portland cement (PC) as pulp dressing agents in carious primary teeth.

Methodology: Thirty carious primary mandibular molars of children aged 5-9 years old were randomly assigned to MTA or PC groups, and treated by a conventional pulpotomy technique. The teeth were restored with resin modified glass ionomer cement. Clinical and radiographic successes and failures were recorded at 6, 12, 18 and 24-month follow-up.

Results: All pulpotomised teeth were clinically and radiographically successful at all follow-up appointments. Six out of 15 teeth in the PC group and five out of 14 teeth in the MTA group exfoliated throughout the follow-up period. No statistically significant difference regarding dentine bridge formation was found between both groups throughout the follow-up period. As far as pulp canal obliteration is concerned, a statistically significant difference was detected at 6-month follow-up (p <0.05), since the beginning of mineralised material deposition could be radiographically detected in 100% and 57.14% of the teeth treated with PC and MTA, respectively.

Conclusions: Portland cement (PC) may serve as a substitute for MTA in pulpotomy of primary teeth. Besides the similar clinical and radiographic effectiveness of PC and MTA as pulpotomy dressing agents, PC has the advantage of being an inexpensive material. Before unlimited clinical use of PC, further studies with large samples and long follow-up assessments are needed.

ADA press release - Dental amalgam

"American Dental Association Statement: Food and Drug Administration Action on Dental Amalgam

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2009—The American Dental Association (ADA) agrees with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision not to place any restriction on the use of dental amalgam, a commonly used cavity filling material.

The FDA ruling issued today categorizes encapsulated dental amalgam as a class II medical device, placing it in the same class as gold and tooth-colored composite fillings. The ADA has supported a class II designation for dental amalgam since 2002 when first proposed by the FDA.

"The FDA has left the decision about dental treatment right where it needs to be—between the dentist and the patient," states ADA President Dr. John Findley. "This decision underscores what the ADA has long supported—a discussion between dentists and patients about the full range of treatment options to help patients make educated decisions regarding their dental care."

Dental amalgam is a cavity-filling material made by combining mercury with other metals such as silver, copper and tin. Numerous scientific studies conducted over the past several decades, including two large clinical trials published in the April 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate dental amalgam is a safe, effective cavity-filling material for children and others. And, in its 2009 review of the scientific literature on amalgam safety, the ADA's Council on Scientific Affairs reaffirmed that the scientific evidence continues to support amalgam as a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients."

Source: www.ada.org

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The two studies mentioned in this ADA press release are free to download
(Click on the image for full text)

(1) Neuropsychological and renal effects in children whose dental caries were restored using amalgam or mercury-free materials

(2) Neurobehavioral effects of dental amalgam in children