Rehabilitation of patients with anterior conoid teeth may present a challenge for the clinician, especially when trying to mimic the nature with composite resins. This clinical report exemplifies how a patient with conoid upper lateral incisors was rehabilitated with minimally invasive adhesive restorations. Following diagnostic wax-up and cosmetic mock-up, no-prep veneers and ceramic fragments (partial veneers) were constructed with feldspathic porcelain. This restorative material presents excellent reproduction of the optical properties of the dental structure, especially at minimal thicknesses. In this paper, the details about the treatment are described. A very pleasing outcome was achieved, confirming that minimally invasive adhesive restorations are an excellent option for situations in which the dental elements are healthy, and can be modified exclusively by adding material and the patient does not want to suffer any wear on the teeth.

The present study aims to evaluate the current scientific data regarding the effectiveness of photobiomodulation (PBM) in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) as an alternative method for pain control. A systematic review was conducted to assess the effectiveness of PBM as treatment for DH. A complete literature search was performed up to October 2016. Searches were conducted using Boolean operators and MeSH terms. References of all selected full-text articles and related reviews were scanned. A total of 280 articles were identified (241 articles were excluded by the title and abstract). Of the 39 articles selected for analysis, 36 were excluded because they presented one or more exclusion criteria. Therefore, three articles were qualified for inclusion in this systematic review. PBM may not lead to adverse effects provided that adequately controlled parameters are followed when treating DH. More consistent studies should be conducted in order to adequately observe the advantageous therapeutic effect of PBM.

The influence of mandibular movement timing on food breakdown remains unclear. The authors, therefore, sought to relate chewing rate with masticatory performance. Chewing rate, defined as the number of masticatory cycles habitually achieved per minute, was measured in 55 healthy dentulous subjects (age, 22.2 +/- 5.0 years). Subjects were grouped according to obtained values (cycles/minute): slower: < 70; middle: 70-90; and faster: > 90. Masticatory performance was determined through the sieve method, and the estimated comminuted median particle size (X50). Data was analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests (alpha = .05). Subjects with slower chewing rates showed higher (p < .05) masticatory performance (X50 = 3.05 +/- 0.77 mm). X50 was associated with chewing rate when subjects were categorized as better or poorer performers (chi-square = 11.25, p < .005). Thus, chewing rate was related to masticatory performance, with smaller food particles being achieved with a slower chewing rate.

The article is associated with the American College of Prosthodontists' journal-based continuing education program. It is accompanied by an online continuing education activity worth 1 credit. Please visit www.wileyonlinelearning.com/jopr to complete the activity and earn credit. KeywordsBilateral balanced occlusion; canine guidance; conventional complete denture. Correspondence AbstractPurpose: This study involved an extensive search for randomized controlled clinical trials comparing bilateral balanced and canine-guided dentures, and questioned whether a bilateral balanced occlusion is imperative for successful denture treatment. Materials and Methods: Studies were identified by searching electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, LILACS, and BBD). The keywords "denture" and "occlusion" were used. The minimum inclusion requirements were (1) randomized controlled trials with patients of any age wearing both maxillary and mandibular conventional complete dentures (CDs), (2) comparison between bilateral balanced and canine-guided dentures, and (3) assessment of masticatory function and/or patients' satisfaction. Results: The search resulted in the identification of 5166 articles. Subsequently, 5156 articles were excluded on the basis of title and abstract. By the end of the search phase, seven randomized controlled trials were considered eligible. Conclusions: Current scientific evidence suggests that bilateral balanced occlusion is not imperative for successful treatment with conventional CDs in average patients. More studies are necessary to identify if specific clinical conditions may benefit from a balanced occlusion.According to the American Dental Association, evidence-based dentistry is an approach to oral healthcare requiring the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence with the dentist's clinical expertise and the patient's treatment needs and preferences.1 Assessment of scientific evidence obtained from reliable sources may be the most challenging element for dentists to master. Clinical expertise is often obtained by practitioners engaging in clinical experiences over time. Patients' desires and preferences may be the result of many factors including perceived needs, past dental experiences, health values, and financial issues. Finally, it is essential that these three elements are present in order to obtain the greatest benefits. 2 presented examples of "old truths" in the field of prosthodontics. One of these so-called "old truths" is the bilateral balanced occlusion (BBO), held by many authors as fundamental for successful treatment with conventional complete dentures (CDs). For more than a hundred years, textbooks and undergraduate teaching have stated that canine guided dentures should be avoided, since they would result in denture instability and impaired masticatory function; however, recent research has shown that conventional CDs can function successfully without a balanced occlusion.3 Also, it is interesting to note that 1 year...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of the condensation silicone Optosil Comfort ® as an artificial test food for masticatory performance evaluation. Twenty dentate subjects with mean age of 23.3 ± 0.7 years were selected. Masticatory performance was evaluated using the simple (MPI), the double (IME) and the multiple sieve methods. Trials were carried out five times by three examiners: three times by the first, and once by the second and third examiners. Friedman's test was used to find the differences among time trials. Reproducibility was determined by the intra-class correlation (ICC) test (α = 0.05). No differences among time trials were found, except for MPI-4 mm (p = 0.022) from the first examiner results. The intra-examiner reproducibility (ICC) of almost all data was high (ICC ≥ 0.92, p < 0.001), being moderate only for MPI-0.50 mm (ICC = 0.89, p < 0.001). The interexaminer reproducibility was high (ICC > 0.93, p < 0.001) for all results. For the multiple sieve method, the average mean of absolute difference from repeated measurements were lower than 1 mm. This trend was observed only from MPI-0.50 to MPI-1.4 for the single sieve method, and from IME-0.71/0.50 to IME-1.40/1.00 for the double sieve method. The results suggest that regardless of the method used, the reproducibility of Optosil Comfort ® is high.