Dental Students’ Didactic and Psychomotor Skills Performance in Dental Anatomy and Preclinical Operative Dentistry Courses in a Saudi Governmental School

Background. Knowledge and psychomotor skills are essential in dental education. The aims were to (1) investigate the correlation between dental students’ didactic and psychomotor skills performance in the dental anatomy and preclinical operative dentistry courses and (2) explore the impact of gender on students’ performance in both courses. Materials and Methods. A retrospective cohort study was performed on dental students’ (164 students; 72 males and 92 females) dental anatomy and preclinical operative courses scores of the same class over 2 years (2018–2020). Didactic and practical scores were collected. The didactic scores included examinations. Practical scores included tooth wax carving for the dental anatomy course and class II cavity preparations and restorations for the preclinical operative. Student’s t-test and ANOVA were used to analyze the difference between the didactic and psychomotor skills scores of both courses and genders. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to explore correlations ( p < 0.05 ). Results. Moderate, positive, and significant correlations were found between didactic scores in both courses and between dental anatomy’s didactic and psychomotor skills. A weak, positive, and significant correlation existed between the preclinical operative didactic and psychomotor silks ( p < 0.05 ). Females’ didactic performance was significantly better than males. Gender had a significant, positive, and moderate correlation in the dental anatomy course, but moderate-weak in preclinical operative ( p < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Students’ didactic and psychomotor performance correlations in dental anatomy and preclinical operative courses were positive. The correlation was moderate and weak and varied by course. Gender had a significant impact on student performance and varied by procedure and courses investigated.

THE STAMP TECHNIQUE FOR DIRECT COMPOSITE RESTORATIONS

Intoduction: A high level of aestheticscanonlybeachieved by refiningold techniques and introducing new ones. One of the mostrecent techniques is the stamptechnique.Thisis a relatively new methodthat manages to restore the occlusal anatomyalmostperfectly. Althoughitispractical, it has been adopted by only a smallpercentage of practitioners. Methods:This technique wasused on two patients with occlusal caries of differentseverity, whichallowed for an estheticfillingwith a close approximation of the natural dental anatomy. Results:An estheticrestorationwithoutretouching andwithoutoverbiteallowing a hormonal integration in the occlusion. Discussion:This isbecausemanualrestoration in esthetic direct composite is a technique thatrequiresskill and finesse and finishingthatis essential for the longevity of the restoration. With the buffer technique the overall time isreduced and the degree of porosity in the restorationisconsiderablyreduced. The purpose of this article is to clarifythis technique, to discussits limitations and indications as to illustrateitsprotocolthrough a clinical case.

Endodontic instruments fracture in root canal: Integrative review

Introduction: Endodontic instruments fracture is related to several factors from internal dental anatomy and type, to operator inability and inexperience. Objective: To review case reports related to fracture of endodontic instruments inside the root canal. Methodology: A literature review was carried out using papers available in the PubMed and Lilacs databases. Only case reports were included, with no restriction on language and publication year Results: It was analyzed eight papers with 11 instrument fracture cases, with the highest prevalence (45.5%) of rotary instruments fracture, occurring mainly in middle-cervical and middle-apical root canals thirds. In 90.9% of cases, techniques used for removal showed successful results and in only one case (9.1%), the technique was unsuccessful and the instrument was kept inside the root canal. Final considerations: Endodontic instruments fracture is a complication can directly affect prognosis and endodontic treatment success. Several techniques and devices can be used to remove fractured fragments inside root canals, however, there is no specific protocol for their removal. Keywords: accidents; endodontics; fracture; dental instruments; prognosis.

Multidisciplinary Approach for Full-Mouth Rehabilitation of a Young Adult Patient with Ameloblastoma

Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally invasive neoplasm of the odontogenic epithelium that tends to grow slowly in the mandible or maxilla. It can be highly destructive to the surrounding dental anatomy and can cause death by progressive spread to nearby vital structures in rare cases. Marginal resection is the most effective method of eliminating the tumor, but treatment can further contribute to oral and dental deformity and malfunction. This clinical report describes the dental rehabilitation of a young adult patient diagnosed with ameloblastoma and underwent preliminary marsupialization, segmental mandibulectomy, and fibula free flap reconstruction, followed by mandibular dental implant placements. Orthodontic and rapid palatal expansion for maxillary arch correction was also performed. The treatment goal of regaining dental function and a satisfactory appearance was accomplished.

LATERAL PEG-SHAPED INCISIVE AESTHETIC TREATMENT WITH INDIRECT VENEER RESTORATION USING CERAMO POLYMER RESTORATION

Peg shape is one of the abnormalities of dental anatomy, i.e. tooth size is smaller than average and tapered shape. These peg-shaped teeth are often found in the maxillary lateral incisors and third molars. The form on the lateral incisor often causes aesthetic problems because of its anterior position. One of the treatments for peg-shaped teeth is Veneer. Case report: 26 years old woman had a peg-shaped shape on both lateral incisors. Indirect veneer aesthetic treatment was performed using Ceramage to correct the form and cover the diastema to achieve better aesthetics. Wax-up is done to see the suitability of the shape and proportion of the Veneer. Patients get a visual picture of the expected treatment results. The treatment results in Ceramage gave an excellent condition in improving the shape of the Peg-shaped incisor. The veneer colour resembles natural teeth, and the patient is satisfied with the treatment results. Ceramage can be used as a treatment option for anterior teeth with deformities. Ceramage Veneer is an alternative that can be done to improve the aesthetic appearance at a more economical cost for anterior teeth.