Dental Industry Research Articles

3D Printing Temporary Crown and Bridge by Temperature Controlled Mask Image Projection Stereolithography

Traditionally, the fabrication of temporary teeth restorations must go through multiple processes such as moulding, curing and post finishing, which requires extensive expertise of dentists. In addition, the handmade temporary restorations are usually unable to precisely fit the patient’s teeth due to limited formability of material. To address the problem, a three-dimensional (3D) printing technology named temperature controlled mask image projection based stereolithography (TCMIP-SL) is presented for dental materials in this paper, with aim to build customized temporary crown and bridge quickly for its use in dental offices. We first studied the photo-polymerization performance of commercial materials that are commonly used in dental industry. Then we discussed the temperature effect on curing performance and rheology of dental composite material. Based on the studies, we further developed our TCMIP-SL process by integrating a material coating system with controllable heating, so that the coated thin film of dental composite material can be selectively cured using high resolution patterned light beam. Several test cases are performed to demonstrate the TCMIP-SL process can 3D print high viscous temporary crown material with fast speed and high resolution.

Molecular insight to size and dose-dependent cellular toxicity exhibited by a green synthesized bioceramic nanohybrid with macrophages for dental applications.

Improvising bioceramics for enhancing their biocompatibility and physical properties has been a focus area for the dental industry. To further explore this area, this study reports a novel green synthesis and molecular in vitro biocompatibility of calcium aluminosilicate-chitosan nanohybrid (CAS-CH). The nanohybrids were synthesized by using a high energy ball milling (HEBM) technique and then characterized for their physiochemical properties using standard techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of a synthesized nanohybrid was made with a RAW264.7 cell line using cell viability assays, such as, MTT, cellular morphology analysis, induction of oxidative stress, and apoptosis. CAS-CH nanohybrids were synthesized at three milling time points: 1H, 2H, and 3H. With increasing milling time, we found a reduction in sizes of particles and increased zeta potential. Viability of cells was found to be decreased with an increase in concentration. Moreover, toxic effects like ROS generation and apoptosis were reduced with increasing milling time. Computational and experimental analysis elucidated the mechanism of toxicity as a consequence of influential functionality of Sod1 and p53 proteins due to interaction and internalization of the nanohybrids with amino acid residues via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The detailed study depicted a novel way of synthesizing biocompatible bioceramic nanohybrids with a mechanistic insight of its cytotoxicity profile.

Dental industry perspectives and the emergence of dental support organizations

Dental industry perspectives and the emergence of dental support organizations

Electrochemical Study of Three Stainless Steel Alloys and Titanium Metal in Cola Soft Drinks

Stainless steels and titanium alloys are widely used in the medical industry as replacement materials. These materials may be affected by the conditions and type of environment. In the same manner, soft drinks are widely consumed products. It is of interest for dental industry to know the behavior of medical-grade alloys when these are in contact with soft drinks, since any excessive ion release can suppose a risk for human health. In the present study, the electrochemical behavior of three stainless steel alloys and pure titanium was analyzed using three types of cola soft drinks as electrolyte. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of these metallic materials in each type of solution (cola standard, light and zero). Different electrochemical techniques were used for the evaluation of the alloys, namely potentiodynamic polarization, linear polarization, and open-circuit potential measurements. The corrosion resistance of the stainless-steel alloys and titanium in the cola soft drinks was provided by the formation of a stable passive film formed by metal oxides. Scanning electron microscopy was used as a complementary technique to reveal corrosion phenomena at the surface of the materials evaluated. Keywords: Stainless steel, Corrosion, Dental industry, Electrochemical techniques, Soft drinks

Insertion torque and Periotest values are important factors predicting outcome after orthodontic miniscrew placement.

Approximately 14% of orthodontic anchor screws (miniscrews) become dislodged regardless of the accuracy of placement. It is therefore important to investigate the factors causing dislodgement. We evaluated the stability of miniscrews after placement to identify factors influencing outcome in orthodontic treatment using miniscrews. We investigated 120 miniscrews (Dual-top Auto Screw III; Jeil Medical, Seoul, Korea) (diameter, 1.4mm; length, 6mm) placed on the buccal or lingual side between the maxillary second premolar and the first molar in women. Patient age and rate and time of screw dislodgement were examined. Insertion torque values and Periotest (Tokyo Dental Industrial, Tokyo, Japan) measurements indicating horizontal and vertical mobility of the inserted screws were compared between groups with and without dislodgement (failure and success groups, respectively). Mean insertion torque values were 10.7±1.9N·cm and 8.5±2.1N·cm in the failure and success groups, respectively. Cortical bone thickness measurements (success group, 1.34±0.35mm; failure group, 0.99±0.09mm) were significantly higher, whereas Periotest values at placement (success group, horizontal, 4.9±1.4; vertical, 4.7±1.3; failure group, horizontal, 7.0±0.8; vertical, 7.1±0.9) were significantly lower in the success group than in the failure group. The Periotest value, together with insertion torque and cortical bone thickness, could serve as an index of initial stability for predicting the outcome of miniscrew placement.

Biomimetic in situ nucleation of calcium phosphates by protein immobilization on high strength ceramic materials

Zirconia has been commonly used in the dental industry because of its excellent biological, mechanical and aesthetic properties. This material, however, is classified as nearly inert. To bioactivate the ceramic surface, biomimetic depositions of calcium phosphate coatings have been developed. We demonstrate an accelerated biomimetic coating method on zirconia using a specific pre-treatment with biological agents. We have chosen bovine serum albumin as a standard protein. Through the pre-treatment of the zirconia using a hydroxylation or additionally immobilizing the bovine serum albumin on the surface, we could influence the CaP deposition rate. Immunohistochemical analyses verified the presence of BSA on the zirconia surfaces. After immersion in simulated body fluid at 40°C, the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction to visualize the CaP formation. Here we could show as proof-of-principle that it is possible to accelerate biomimetic coating processes on zirconia implants containing BSA on their surface.

MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES OF DENTISTS AS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR OF THE DENTAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DETERRENCE

Work activity of a dentist is systematically affected by negative productive factors while severity of vertebroneurological diseases is directly proportional to work experience and work intensiveness of a doctor as well as noncompliance with ergonomics rules that leads to decrease of dentist working capacity in the period of the highest qualification level and extensive clinical experience of the specialists. Therefore the control over implementation of labor protection instructions and ergonomics recommendations for women dentists in pregnancy as well as implementation of certain recommendations in everyday practice would stimulate improvement of their competitiveness and dental industry development.

Nitrous Oxide Utility in Labor and Birth: A Multipurpose Modality.

The use of nitrous oxide (N2O) for labor and birth has very recently emerged as a viable modality in the United States, despite a long history of use in Canada and Europe. Usually associated with dental procedures, there are significant differences between dental and parturition utility, efficacy, and staff exposure. In addition to using it for pain relief and anxiolysis, those centers utilizing it have noted it to be multipurpose and useful for such situations as: external cephalic version, manual removal of placenta, intravenous starts, during placement of urinary catheters and intracervical Foley bulbs. Nitrous oxide has proven to be especially helpful for repair of lacerations under local anesthesia and is a multiuse modality that should be available to women in all birth settings. This article explores the history of N2O use, provides a comparison of obstetrical use to use in the dental industry, examines the contraindications to, and implications for usage, and discusses logistical points of consideration for clinicians working with women using N2O for labor and birth.

Effect of CT acquisition parameters of spiral CT on image quality and radiation dose

Abstract Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the most advanced manufacturing process in medical and dental industry. Computed Tomography (CT) images are the primary source to fabricate the medical models. Spiral CT scanner captures larger volume tissue in a short scan time. The major defects that appear in CT image acquisition process are Beam Hardening (BH), image noise and radiation dose. Tube voltage, tube current and pitch are the major parameters for CT image acquisition. In the present work, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of various CT image acquisition parameters in the CT image acquisition of dry mandible phantom. A Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was used for experimental plan. The scanning defects of BH artifact and image noise were calculated by using Beam Hardening Correction Factor (BHCF) and the standard deviation of X- ray photons in the voxel respectively. Similarly radiation dose was measured with CT Dose Index volume (CTDIvolume). Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) method is used to optimize the CT image acquisition parameters, resulting increase in quality of CT images with less radiation dose. It was found that the image defects were less at optimal parameters found from GRA method compared to default image acquisition parameters.

Molecular, Cellular and Pharmaceutical Aspects of Biomaterials in Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. An Internationalization of Higher Education and Research Perspective.

In dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery, the development of implantable biomaterials and the understanding of their molecular, cellular and pharmaceutical aspects are currently major fields of research and education, with a considerable impact on the daily clinical practice and the evolution of therapeutic strategies. In the era of globalized economy of knowledge and science, this scientific domain needs the development of global cooperation and a paradigm evolution in the organizational culture of the dental sciences and related dental industry. Despite political pressure and theoretical efforts, the internationalization of higher education and research today in dentistry and biomaterials remains in general quite superficial and mostly dependent on the efforts of a few leaders of internationalization working through their personal networks, as it was assessed through the FAST scores (Fast Assessment Screening Test) calculated in various dental schools and groups worldwide through the ISAIAS program (Intercultural Sensitivity Academic Index &Advanced Standards). Cooperation in a multipolar multicultural community requires the development of strong intercultural competences, and this process remains limited in most institutions. These limits of international scientific cooperation can be observed through different markers, particularly the difficult and limited production of ISO standards (International Organization for Standardization) and the relatively low SCIENTI scores (Scientific Cooperation Internationalization Effort &Network Test &Index) of the specialized dental literature, particularly in comparison to the most significant medical literature. However, as an analytical tool to assess the scientific international cooperation effort between fields and periods, the SCIENTI screening system also highlighted a significant increase of the internationalization effort in the last years in the best dental biomaterials publications. Finally, an internationalization of higher education and research perspective is a very important approach to assess the evolution of the dental biomaterial science and highlights very clearly the future endeavors of this field, particularly the impact and interferences of private entities and companies in the development of this corpus of knowledge. It also reveals that the concept of independent not-for-profit Cooperation Internationalization Effort Literature (CIEL), in the various informal models that can be found worldwide around diverse leaderships, is the best perspective for a better science and understanding of molecular, cellular and pharmaceutical aspects of biomaterials in dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Optimization of Computer Tomography Reconstruction Parameters using Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the advanced engineering manufacturing process and the application of this process is entered into each and every industry. This process best suits for production of each part uniquely. This technology best fits for medical and dental industry, where each patient has unique anatomy. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are the major input data source for the AM medical software's. The medical data is usually stored in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) file format. In the current days the most of the CT scanners are of multi slice scanners, which help to acquire maximum data of patient anatomy with in minimum time. Once CT data acquisition is done the reconstruction of data will start. In reconstruction of CT data slice thickness, slice increment and field of view parameters play's major role. The current work is to obtain best quality of data with minimal errors by optimizing the reconstruction parameters. Considered three reconstruction parameters with three levels to conduct the experiments. The reconstruction data is analyzed using L9 orthogonal array and S/N (Signal to Noise) ratio. The paper also explains the importance of reconstruction parameters theoretically and validated by experimental analysis, also applied on few case studies. The experimental results prove that slice thickness is majorly responsible for the quality of reconstructed data. The dimensional error is reduced from 0.78 mm to 0.65 mm. The same optimal parameters are implemented in the two case studies.

“Let's go Green to get Our Globe Clean”: Green Dentistry

ABSTRACT Dentistry is an extremely important and foremost healing profession. In today's world, with the increasing ecological disasters, it is highly obligatory to understand the paramount importance of being eco-friendly in every facet of our lives, including in dental practice, which has a huge impact on the environment. Eco-friendly dentistry is a term legally accepted by the Eco Dentistry Association, which is an emerging concept in dentistry. It is an approach to minimize the environmental hazards of dental practice and provide dental care in an environmentally friendly way. With the widespread introduction of beryllium into the dental industry, a large number of these workers are at risk for the development of chronic beryllium disease. Proper handling of biomedical and dental waste is indispensable for the dental profession. People have become much more cognizant of potentially harmful chemicals contained in plastic products, especially, bisphenol-A. This can be achieved by reducing waste and lowering pollution. Dental offices can use reusable towels, high-efficiency machines, and paperless records. A small change can make the overall impact of the dental office less damaging to the environment. The purpose of this review is to discuss various ways that a dentist can choose to make the dental office “Green” and conserve precious resources with all the options available today. Eco-friendly dentistry is soon becoming the standard. How to cite this article Sawant PH, Vimala N, Padhye L. “Let's go Green to get Our Globe Clean”: Green Dentistry. J Oper Dent Endod 2017;2(1):19-24.

Ontology-based Technology Function Matrix for Patent Analysis of Additive Manufacturing in the Dental Industry

Ontology-based Technology Function Matrix for Patent Analysis of Additive Manufacturing in the Dental Industry

Phase equilibria in the ternary Ag-Au-Ga system: Isothermal sections at 250°C and 450°C

The ternary Ag-Au-Ga system seems to be interesting in jeweller?s craft as a joint. Moreover, the ternary systems based on gold and silver have found applications in the dental industry. A literature overview of the Ag-Au-Ga system shows that the information about phase equilibria of this system does not exist. In the present work, phase equilibria in the Ag-Au-Ga ternary system have been studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Twenty two annealed alloys in the 10-70 at.% Ga region have been investigated. Obtained experimental results were compared with the predicted isothermal sections at two temperatures (250?C and 450?C). No ternary compounds are found.

Ontology-based technology function matrix for patent analysis of additive manufacturing in the dental industry

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been developed and applied to many domains where product mass-customisation is critical to maintaining competitive advantage. For instance, AM has been adopted for use in the medical and dental manufacture of implants, prosthetics and orthodontics, where these devices must be made to match each patient's unique facial, dental or other body profiles. The research presented focuses on the technological and functional aspects of patent informatics to discover the innovation trends for materials, products, and processes. The research proposes a generic methodology incorporating patent text and data mining to create an ontology based technology function (TF) matrix for any technology domain. The TF matrix is applied to describe the distribution of global dental AM patents. The research compares the latest dental-related AM research initiatives in Taiwan with globally emerging patents. The patent based analytical approach enables RD Revised 22 October 2016; Accepted 8 November 2016]

The recognition of development plan and what to pursue in dental laboratory industry

The recognition of development plan and what to pursue in dental laboratory industry

Implant retained auricular prosthesis: A clinical report

Prosthetic ears are created for patients with microtia, a congenital defect that affects 1 in 10,000 births, as well as patients that have ears removed due to cancer and trauma. The current standard for ear prostheses is osseointegrated abutments and either magnets or bar clip prosthetic attachments. Osseointegration is a technology that grew out of the dental industry and was effectively translated to other prosthetic applications. Defects of the external ear could be corrected using prosthetic reconstructions retained by implants. Implant retained auricular prosthesis eliminates the need for the adhesives and provides better retention compared to the conventional prosthesis. Bar and clip design is currently followed for retaining the ear prosthesis. Bars are fixed onto osseointegrated craniofacial implants through a surgery. Clips embedded in an acrylic housing are used to retain the prosthesis on the bars. The major problems in this method are the bulk of prosthesis that compromises the final cosmetic outcome and the loosening of the clips. Although several reconstructive techniques exist for the auricular defect, the use of implants to anchor auricular prosthesis presents a suitable alternative. This article presents a case of a right auricular defect, which was congenital for which two bone-anchored implants were placed. Hader bar with ERA attachments was used for retention of the silicone auricular prosthesis.

Transparent single crystalline ZrO2-SiO2 glass nanoceramic sintered by SPS

Transparent ZrO2-SiO2 glass ceramics show potential for application in the dental industry. The application of this material prepared by a sol-gel method was hindered by the difficulties in obtaining large dimension samples. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) offers the possibility of achieving transparent ZrO2-SiO2 glass ceramics. In this study, a ZrO2-SiO2 powder was prepared by the sol-gel method and subsequently sintered by SPS. Varied sintering temperatures and pressures were explored to achieve better mechanical strength and transparency. TEM results showed single crystalline ZrO2 spherical nanocrystals (approximately 20nm) homogenously embedded in the SiO2 matrix. Tetragonal ZrO2 was the only crystalline phase in all specimens. With sintering conditions of 1200°C and 30MPa, a glass ceramic with fracture toughness of 4.13MPa m was obtained. This value is similar to the commercial dental glass ceramic of IPS e.max® Press. The studied transparent glass ceramic with high transparency and moderate mechanical strength shows promise for dental application.

Influence of atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma treatment on the shear bond strength between zirconia and resin cement

PurposeZirconia exhibits excellent strength and high biocompatibility in technological applications and it is has therefore been investigated for clinical applications and research. Before setting prostheses, a crown prosthesis inner surface is sandblasted with alumina to remove contaminants and form small cavities. This alumina sandblasting causes stress-induced phase transition of zirconia.Atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma has been applied in the dental industry, particularly for adhesives, as a surface treatment to activate the surface energy and remove contaminants.The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment on the shear bond strength between zirconia and adhesive resin cement. MethodsThe surface treatment method was classified into three groups: untreated (Cont group), alumina sandblast treatment (Sb group), and atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment (Ps group).Adhesive resin cement was applied to stainless steel and bonded to zirconia. Shear adhesion tests were performed after complete hardening of the cement. Multiple comparisons were performed using a one-way analysis of variance and the Bonferroni method.X-ray diffractometry was used to examine the change in zirconia crystal structure. ResultsStatistically significant differences were noted between the control and Sb groups and between the control and Ps groups. In contrast, no statistically significant differences were noted for the Ps and Sb bond strength.Atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment did not affect the zirconia crystal structure. ConclusionsAtmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment improves the bonding strength of adhesive resin cement as effectively as alumina sandblasting, and does not alter the zirconia crystal structure.

Oral Health and Dental Industry

Oral Health and Dental Industry