Journal of Dental Medicine

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Statement of Problem: One of the major goals, in most dental researches, is to measure bone destruction or deposition due to the progression or regression of disease. Failure of human eyes to detect minor radiographic density changes resulted in more accurate methods such as optical densitometry and direct or indirect digital densitometry.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of a newly proposed method of indirect digital densitometry using modified Photoshop software.
Materials and Methods: Radiographs from 37 samples of urografin solution with three concentrations (12.5%, 25% and 37.5%) were taken on dental radiographic films no.2 and digitized by a scanner. A region with 800*800 pixels was cropped from each image and compressed with the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression algorithm and saved. These new images were then put into registration with new algorithm using MATLAB software version 6.1. This algorithm assigned each image and average pixel value (between 0 and 255). The association between concentration and calculated values for each image was tested with regression analysis and the meaning fullness of differences between calculated values was also analysis by ANOVA test. Tukey HSD and Alpha Krunbach were used whenever needs.
Results: Regression analysis revealed significant correlation between concentration and calculated average pixel value (r=0.883). The differences between average of pixels value for different concentration was significant (P=0.0001). Pixel values showed a good intra- sample and intra-group repeatability (Alpha Krunbach: a=99.96%, a=99.68%).
Conclusion: This method due to its high accuracy, easy usage and densitometer independency can be considered as a suitable alternative for conventional densitometry methods.

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Background and Aim: Three Dimensional obturation of root canal is one of the main goals of root canal therapy to preserve health or reach the regeneration or healing of periapical tissues. Root end filling materials are used in numerous situations to reach the mentioned goals. One of the common root end- filling materials is mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) which the foreign and Iranian ones are different in their prices. The aim of this study was to compare the rat connective tissue reaction to Iranian and foreign MTA.

Materials and Methods: This was an animal study in which 40 rats were divided into 5 groups of each 8. The polyethylene tubes filled with foreign (Pro Root MTA) and Iranian (Root MTA) white MTA and were implanted in subcutaneous connective tissue. Similarly, the empty tubes were inserted in subcutaneous connective tissue as control group. The samples were examined histologically after 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 days and were scored as followings: 0, was characterized to samples without inflammatory cells without inflammatory reaction 1, for samples with less than 25 inflammatory cells mild inflammatory reaction. 2, for samples with 25 to 125 inflammatory cells moderate inflammatory reaction and 3, for ones with more than 125 inflammatory cells severe inflammatory reaction. The data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and p<0.05 was considered as the level of significance.

Results: In general, inflammatory reactions were reduced in all groups. Experimental groups had moderate to severe inflammation in the 7th day which had significant difference with the control group having mild to moderate inflammation (p=0.04). There was not any significant differences between experimental and control group in 14th, 30th, 60th and 90th days (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this investigation, inflammatory subcutaneous connective tissue reaction to Iranian (Root MTA) and foreign (Pro Root MTA) MTA was the same.

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Background and Aims: The main purpose of orthodontic treatment is normal positioning of teeth in three dimensional plans, including the mesiodistal inclination. In this study, mesiodistal axial inclination of posterior teeth in skeletal class II was evaluated and compared with that of posterior teeth in skeletal class I.

Materials and Methods: Seventy-eight panoramic radiographs for subjects between 12 to 24 years old with skeletal class I and 78 panoramic radiographs for subjects between 12 to 19 years old with skeletal class II were selected. All of the subjects were in permanent dentition with no tooth missing, no tooth extraction, no impacted tooth, and no crowding in posterior teeth. Two reference lines were established over each radiograph: the upper one passing through the most inferior point of right and left orbits lower one passing through the right and left mental foramina. After that, the long axis of teeth was traced (the image of root canal in single-rooted teeth, mean image of buccal and palatal canals in upper premolars, mean image of mesial and distal canals in lower molars, and the image of palatal canal in upper molars.). The mean values for two skelotodental classes were analyzed using T-test.

Results: The results showed that there was significant difference between (P<0.05) mesiodistal axial inclination of teeth 15, 16, 17, 25, 26, and 27 in upper jaw in skeletal class II compared with that of the same teeth in skeletal class I, which was more mesially in skeletal class II. Mesiodistal axial inclination of teeth 36, 46, and 47 in lower jaw was more mesially in class II compared with that of the same teeth in class I. For other teeth there were no significant differences between two skeletodental classes (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The mesiodistal axial inclination of upper molars and second premolars and lower molars in class II was more mesially compared with that of the same teeth in class I.

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Background and Aims: The aim of this study was to measure the degree of conversion (DC) of three types of composite resins (micro-hybrid, nano-hybrid and Ormocer) with different light curing units (LED LCU and QTH LCU) in two depths.

Materials and Methods: Three commercially available dental resin composites were used in this study: (Tetric Ceram, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein-A2 shade), (Tetric Evoceram, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein-A2 shade), (Ceram X, Dentsply, Germany-M₂ shade). Specimens were divided into two groups, 5 specimens were photo-activated by QTH unit (Coltolux 75-Colten) and the other five specimens were cured by LED (Demi-Kerr). Then each specimen was sectioned at the top surface and at 2-mm depth. The DC was measured by FT-IR
(Bruker-tensor 27). The data were analyzed by 3-way ANOVA test.

Results: There was significant difference between tested composite resins (P<0.001). The results of top surfaces were significantly different from those observed at 2-mm depth (P<0.001). The type of curing unit affected the polymerization of Ceram X resin composite.

Conclusion: This study showed a significant difference in the degree of conversion in different thicknesses within three groups of resin composites.

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  Background and Aims: Debonding of denture teeth from the denture base can be frustrating for both clinician as well as patient. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different tooth preparations on the tensile bond strength of composite denture teeth to acrylic denture base material.

  Materials and Methods : In this experimental study, 108 anterior Glamour teeth were selected and divided into 9 groups, based on their preparation (physical: no physical change, glaze removal, creating two slots with 1.5 mm depth, creating a hole with 2.5mm depth, chemical: (without chemical materials, monomer, silane). Specimens were prepared and tested according to the methods of the International standards organization (ISO 20795-1). After attachment of teeth to acryl, the tensile bond stregth test was performed in a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with a crosshead speed of 1mm/min and specimens were subjected to tensile force until failure. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD and Two-way ANOVA.

  Results: There were significant differences between the bond strength of tested groups (P=0.012). Based on Tukey test, there was a significant difference between monomer/without physical change group and without/without (P<0.001) and control group. No significant differences were found between the bond strengths of the other groups (P=0.17) . All specimens were debonded as cohesive failure.

  Conclusion: Application of monomer on the ridge lap surface led to improve the tensile bond strength between glamour composite denture teeth and Iranian acrylic resin, however physical changes were not effective. According to the cohesive failure of all the specimens, it can be concluded that the bond strength between this type of teeth and acrylic resin was stronger than the strength of teeth.