Taurodontism can be defined as a change in tooth shape caused by the failure of Hertwig's epithelial sheath diaphragm to invaginate at the proper horizontal level. An enlarged pulp chamber, apical displacement of the pulpal floor, and no constriction at the level of the cementoenamel junction are the characteristic features. Although permanent molar teeth are most commonly affected, this change can also be seen in both the permanent and deciduous dentition, unilaterally or bilaterally, and in any combination of teeth or quadrants. Whilst it appears most frequently as an isolated anomaly, its association with several syndromes and abnormalities has also been reported. The literature on taurodontism in the context of endodontics up to March 2007 was reviewed using PubMed, MEDLINE and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature. Despite the clinical challenges in endodontic therapy, taurodontism has received little attention from clinicians. In performing root canal treatment on such teeth, one should appreciate the complexity of the root canal system, canal obliteration and configuration, and the potential for additional root canal systems. Careful exploration of the grooves between all orifices particularly with magnification, use of ultrasonic irrigation; and a modified filling technique are of particular use.

Our results indicate that dental caries and ECC are highly prevalent in this population, with ECC cases having 6.7 more dmft than non-cases.

The level of molar wear can be estimated reliably by measuring the cusp height. A correlation between age and the level of molar wear, expressed by a normalizing index (TWI) of cusp height, was found to exist in a sample of modern Igloolik Northwest Territories Eskimos. Not only was it possible to derive linear regression models to test the degree of correlation in the sample of 46 female and 39 male maxillary casts of Igloolik Eskimos, but the models were capable of accurately predicting the age of natives of the neighboring Hall Beach community. Sexual dimorphism in molar wear, perhaps attributable to differential bruxism, was demonstrated for the Igloolik sample. Based on the combined estimate of slopes for each maxillary molar pair for females and males, it was discovered that the male maxillary molars are worn approximately 30% more rapidly than female maxillary molars.

Practicing evidence-based dentistry is a process of lifelong and self-directed learning. Teaching evidence-based dentistry to dental students is the key to increasing the uptake of evidence-based treatments and practices in dentistry. This article describes the procedures undertaken to teach undergraduate dental students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry how to produce systematic reviews as a module in clinical epidemiology. Nine selected reports have been summarized as examples of the outputs of this module. At the end of the module, students are asked to participate in a survey and anonymously fill out a questionnaire to evaluate the module. Students' evaluation of the module in the 2005-06 (n= 64) and 2006-07 (n=57) academic years were extracted for data analysis. Overall, the majority of students found the module an enjoyable way of learning that has improved their ability to gather information, apply existing evidence to a clinical question, evaluate information, and further develop their communication skills. This module was also effective in raising students' awareness of the importance of evidencebased clinical practice. It is essential to establish the fundamentals of evidence-based practice during the undergraduate curriculum to assist dental students in learning the skills to practice evidence-based dentistry.

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Inuit (Eskimos) from the Foxe Basin region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, were studied to ascertain the amount of dimensional and morphological asymmetry in their dentitions. The results indicate that dimensional asymmetry does not appear to be greater on either the maxillary or mandibular teeth. Both types of asymmetry show partial conformity to the model of tooth fields with an increasing amount of asymmetry as one goes distally in each tooth group. The morphological asymmetry exception, the mandibular incisors, follows Dahlberg's "Field Concept." Rank-order correlations between the amount of dimensional asymmetry and morphological asymmetry reveal no detectable patterns. There appear to be no associations between the presence or absence of morphological asymmetry and the size of the tooth. This lack of association might be explained by differences in developmental timing of tooth dimensions and morphological traits; however, such a hypothesis requires experimental testing. In this population and those for which published results are available, it is practically impossible to overcome the "noise" level and test recent hypotheses regarding random dental asymmetry.