If finishing and polishing is required the use a tungsten carbide finishing bur followed by Enhance PoGo polishing may be found to result in the smoothest surface finish.

Composite resin applied to enamel surfaces prepared using an acid etch procedure exhibited higher bond strengths than those prepared with air abrasion technology. The abrasion particle size did not affect the bond strength produced, but the latter was adversely affected by the distance of the air abrasion nozzle from the enamel surface. The crosshead speed of the bond testing apparatus had no effect on the bond strengths recorded. The marginal seal of composite to prepared enamel was unaffected by the method of enamel preparation.

To evaluate the effects of simulated tooth brushing (STB) on the surface roughness of microhybrid and nanofilled resin composites following different finishing and polishing procedures. Materials and methods: Ninety cylindrical-shaped specimens of Filtek Supreme XT (a universal nano resin composite) and Filtek Z250 (a universal microhybrid resin composite) were prepared. The specimens were allocated at random into 9 paired groups each of 10 specimens. The finishing and polishing systems included were Tungsten Carbide bur (TC); Diamond bur (Db); Sof-Lex discs (S); PoGo discs (PG); TC + S; Db + S; TC + PG; Db + PG. Polymerisation against a Mylar strip without finishing and polishing acted as the control. Surface roughness was measured using a 3D non-contact optical profilometer and surface morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Specimens were subjected to the equivalent of four years STB and surface roughness was measured again. Results: Mylar formed surfaces were the smoothest for both composites before and after STB. Finishing with the diamond finishing bur caused significantly greater surface irregularity (p < 0.0001) before and after STB compared to the tungsten carbide bur. The surface treatment with Db + PG resulted in significantly greater surface roughness following STB than all other regimes of finishing and polishing (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Where indicated clinically, finishing is better conducted using a tungsten carbide bur rather than a diamond finishing bur. The combination of tungsten carbide bur/Enhance PoGo and tungsten carbide bur/Sof-Lex surface protocols produced a similarly smooth finish for both composites. The composite surfaces in all groups increased in surface irregularity following STB. Clinical significance: Whilst finishing using a tungsten carbide finishing bur followed by either the Sof-Lex or PoGo polishing system may be found to result in a smooth surface finish, all the surfaces investigated increased in surface roughness following toothbrushing.

This study investigated whether teaching undergraduate dental students the diagnosis and management of acute dental pain alongside the underpinning oral physiology helped them to understand the topic better than teaching them acute dental pain as a separate entity. Each of three clinical years of dental students at the same dental school was taught in two groups. Each group was taught the signs/symptoms of five acute dental pain conditions by the same member of the staff. However, the teaching for one group of students in each year reminded the students about the physiology that underpinned the clinical symptoms. One week later, the students completed an open-ended questionnaire that required them to list signs/symptoms of the five dental pain conditions. For each year of dental students that was examined, the mean student marks were significantly higher (p<0.05) for those who were taught dental pain and the underlying physiology compared with students who were only taught dental pain as a stand-alone subject. This suggests that integrating biomedical science and clinical teaching is beneficial.

A field trial is in progress in which 14 community clinical dental officers and 19 general dental practitioners were asked to record the actual extent of fissure lesions and how this compared with the cavity size they expected. Participating operators worked under their normal conditions of daily practice. Forty-eight to fifty-seven percent of 644 prepared cavities were of the expected size upon investigation, depending on the diagnostic technique used. Greater accuracy was achieved among the smaller cavities (58–75% as expected) than with the larger (52–69% larger than expected). More difficulty with cavity size prediction occurred with the lower right first molar than with the other first molar teeth and with both mandibular second molars compared to the maxillary molars. Comparisons between the accuracy of cavity size prediction achieved using a visual inspection in combination with the probe and a visual inspection alone showed no significant difference. Under the conditions of this field trial, considerable difficulties were experienced in predicting cavity size accurately

Summary. A large field trial is in progress in the Community Dental Service in the West of Scotland to evaluate the effectiveness of glass ionomer/composite resin sealant restorations in the treatment of fissure caries. 128 of the restorations were placed by 14 community dental officers. After 1 year, 98 restorations were reviewed. All of the glass ionomer restorations were retained but only 12 of the sealants were completely intact. Sealant was retained over only 32% of the restorations and in 13%, 48% and 69% of adjacent buccal, occlusal and palatal fissures, respectively. Résumé. Une ětude extensive est en cours de réalisation dans les services dentaires communautaires de l'Ouest de l'Ecosse et porte sur l'évaluation des obturations par ciment verre ionomère et composite pour scellement dans le traitement des caries des fissures. Cent vingt huit obturations ont été posées par 14 practiciens. Après un an, 98 obturations ont été examinées. Toutes les obturations au verre ionomère étaient en place mais seulement 12 composites de scellement étaient intacts. Les composites de scellement étaient en place seulement dans 32% des obturations et dans 13%, 48% et 69% des fissures buccales, occlusales et palatines respectivement. Zusammenfassung. In West‐Shotland ist eine Feldstudie im Gange welche den Erfolg einer kombinierten Glasionomer‐Füllung mit einer Fissuren‐Versiegelung zur Behandlung von Fissurenkaries beurteilt. 128 Restorationen wurden von 14 Gemeindezahnärzte gelegt. Nach einem Jahr wurden 98 Restorationen beurteilt. Alle Glasionomer Füllungen waren intakt aber nur 12 der Versiegelungen. Versiegler wurde noch gefunden über 32% der Restorationen und in 13% der bukkalen in 48% der okklusalen und in 69% der palatinalen Fissuren. Resumen. Un estudio de campo esta en progreso en el Servicio de Odontalgía Comunitaria en el Oeste de Escocia para evaluar la efectividad de los ionómeros de vidrio/sellante de resina en el tratamiento de caries en las fisuras. Un total de 128 testauraciones fueron colocadas por 14 odontólogos. Al año, 98 de las restauraciones han sido evaluadas. Todas las restauraciones de ionómero de vidrio estan intactas, pero solo 12 de los sellantes estan completamente intactos. El sellante se retuvo sobre las restauraciones solo en 32% de los casos y en 13%, 48% y 69% de las fisuras vestibulares, oclusales y pàlatinas respectivamente.

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