The purpose of this study was to determine if the surgical operating microscope and/or dental loupes could enhance the practitioner's ability to locate the second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) canal of maxillary molars in an in vivo, clinical setting. The participating endodontists documented 312 cases of root canal therapy on maxillary first and second molars. Participants that used the microscope or dental loupes located the MB2 canal with a frequency of 57.4% and 55.3%, respectively. Those using no magnification located the MB2 canal with a frequency of 18.2%. When no magnification was used, significantly fewer MB2 canals were located based by Chi-square analysis at p < 0.01. There was no significant difference between the use of the microscope and dental loupes in the frequency of locating the MB2 canal. When the maxillary first molars were considered separately, the frequency of MB2 canal detection for the microscope, dental loupes, and no magnification groups was 71.1%, 62.5%, and 17.2%, respectively. The results of this study show that the use of magnification in combined groups leads to a MB2 detection rate approximately three times that of the nonmagnification group and that the use of no magnification results in the location of significantly fewer MB2 canals. Based on these results, more emphasis should be placed on the importance of using magnification for locating the MB2 canal.
The presence of a perforation is known to significantly compromise the outcome of endodontic treatment. One potential use of regenerative endodontic therapy may be the repair of root canal perforations. In addition to nutrients and systemic in-situ interactions, the three main components believed to be essential for tissue regeneration are: stem cells, scaffold, and growth factors. This study investigated the role of each component of the tissue engineering triad in the organization and differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) in a simulated furcal perforation site using a mouse model. Collagen served as the scaffold and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) was the growth factor. Materials were placed in simulated perforation sites in dentin slices. MTA was the control repair material. At six weeks, the animals were sacrificed and the perforation sites were evaluated by light microscopy and histological staining. Organization of newly derived pulp tissue was seen in the group containing the triad of DPSCs, a collagen scaffold, and DMP1. The other four groups did not demonstrate any apparent tissue organization. Under the conditions of the present study, it may be concluded that the triad of DPSCs, a collagen scaffold, and DMP1 can induce an organized matrix formation similar to that of pulpal tissue, which may lead to hard tissue formation.
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