AIM: To introduce modifications of the stamp technique that make it applicable to restore Class II composite restorations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The traditional materials and tools used for direct composite restorations are needed with no additional instruments. Clinical illustrations and step-by-step description are provided in this paper.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Using the stamp technique to restore Class II cavities is achievable, simple and practical, and result in a very accurate anatomical restoration.
METHODS: A multi-staged cluster sampling method was employed. A total of 598 16-year-old adolescents participated in this study. Participants' demographic profile was assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by a single examiner. The level of GTW was recorded using the modified Smith and Knight's Tooth Wear Index (TWI) whilst ETW were recorded using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index. This index was developed to record clinical findings and assist in the decision-making process for the management of erosive tooth wear. Dental caries was recorded using the D3MFT index whereby D3 denotes obvious dental decay into dentine detected visually.
RESULTS: The prevalence of GTW, ETW and dental caries, i.e. percentage of individuals found to have at least one lesion, was 99.8%, 45.0% and 27.8% respectively. Two thirds of affected teeth with GTW were observed to have a TWI score of 1 whereas almost all of the affected teeth with ETW had a BEWE score of 2. The mean D3MFT was 0.62 (95% CI 0.50, 0.73) with Decayed (D) teeth being the largest component, mean D3T was 0.36 (95% CI 0.30, 0.43). There was no significant association between socio-demographic factors and prevalence of ETW. Logistic regression analysis also showed no significant relationship between the prevalence of ETW and D3MFT (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Almost all adolescents examined had GTW but they were mainly early lesions. However, nearly half were found to have ETW of moderate severity (BEWE score 2). No significant relationship between the occurrence of erosive tooth wear and caries was observed in this population.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sensitivity of QLF and OCT in detecting initial dental erosion in vitro.
METHODS: 12 human incisors were embedded in resin except for a window on the buccal surface. Bonding agent was applied to half of the window, creating an exposed and non-exposed area. Baseline measurements were taken with QLF, OCT and surface microhardness. Samples were immersed in orange juice for 60 min and measurements taken stepwise every 10 min. QLF was used to compare the loss of fluorescence between the two areas. The OCT system, OCS1300SS (Thorlabs Ltd.), was used to record the intensity of backscattered light of both areas. Multiple linear regression and paired t test were used to compare the change of the outcome measures.
RESULTS: All 3 instruments demonstrated significant dose responses with the erosive challenge interval (p < 0.05) and a detection threshold of 10 min from baseline. Thereafter, surface microhardness demonstrated significant changes after every 10 min of erosion, QLF at 4 erosive intervals (20, 40, 50 and 60 min) while OCT at only 2 (50 and 60 min).
CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that OCT and QLF were able to detect demineralization after 10 min of erosive challenge and could be used to monitor the progression of demineralization of initial enamel erosion in vitro.