Nyaope is an extremely addictive drug mixture having devastating health effects. This comparative crosssectional analytical study was conducted at two drug rehabilitation clinics in Johannesburg.

We reviewed 31 patients at a mean of five years after mallet deformity of the finger had been treated with a thermoplastic splint. Intra-articular fractures were present in 35% of patients. Osteoarthritic changes had developed in 48%, most in association with fracture, and 29% had a swan-neck deformity. There was a loss of extension greater than 10 degrees in 35%; the average deficit at the interphalangeal joint was 8.3 degrees and the average flexion arc was 48.5 degrees. Despite these findings, patient satisfaction was generally high, with little evidence of functional impairment.

We reviewed 31 patients at a mean of five years after mallet deformity of the finger had been treated with a thermoplastic splint. Intra-articular fractures were present in 35% of patients. Osteoarthritic changes had developed in 48%, most in association with fracture, and 29% had a swan-neck deformity. There was a loss of extension greater than 10° in 35%; the average deficit at the interphalangeal joint was 8.3° and the average flexion arc was 48.5°. Despite these findings, patient satisfaction was generally high, with little evidence of functional impairment.

In 2012, the School of Oral Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand modified its undergraduateendodontic curriculum which led to a need to assess the impact of curriculum changes on root canal treatmentoutcomes. This study was an audit of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate BDS students using postoperative radiographs, and compared the results between different undergraduate clinical years of study.Postoperative periapical radiographs of patients treated by undergraduate students were examined to assess length, density and taper. Two independent investigators were first calibrated, and thereafter assessed 299 endodontic cases that were performed by third, fourth and fifth year students during the 2013-2015 period at the Wits Oral Health Centre. 68.9%, 73.6% and 70.9% were found for adequate length, acceptable density and acceptable taper of root filling respectively. The most acceptable length, density and taper results were seen in patients treated by final year students, while the lowest results were observed in the fourth year student cohort. There was a tendency for third year students to overfill due to over-instrumentation of anterior teeth.The change in the curriculum has been justified, though room for improvement exists. The superior result found in the 5th year student cohort was most likely due to  their relative experience, and the use of rotary instrumentation and dental operating microscopes. Endodontic teaching should further emphasize the importance of length control during endodontic treatment and more stringent steps may be necessary during patient allocation and clinical supervision of fourth year dental students.

This study compared the transportation and centering ability of ProTaper Next (PTN) and WaveOne Gold (WOG) files in curved permanent teeth using micro-computed tomography (μCT). Twenty-four molar teeth with curved roots were divided randomly into two equal groups. The root canals of one group was prepared using PTN files, and the other using WOG files. Pre-instrumentation and post-instrumentation μCT imaging were taken for all the teeth. The dentine thickness of the pre-and the post-instrumentation cross sections was measured at eight different points at three levels: 3, 5 and 7mm from the apex, by two dentists using image analysis software. The data were analysed using one-way ANOVA, at a 5% significance level. The transportation in both groups was within the range accepted in the literature. The WOG file exhibited significantly less root canal transportation compared with the PTN file (p=0.001). The WOG file showed a significantly (p<0.001) higher mean centering ratio of 0.4286 when compared to that of PTN at 0.2448. Using a novel technique to measure canal transportation, this study found that the WOG and PTN systems were both suitable for preparation of curved molar root canals, but the WOG showed significantly less canal transportation and better centering ability than the PTN system.

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