Diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bulimia, anorexia, and extrinsic alimentary factors may cause dental erosion (DE). The minimally invasive therapeutic attitude preserves the remaining healthy tooth structure. In the earlier stages, the direct restoration of dental lesions is possible, using composite materials. In advanced stages of DE, prosthetic treatments are recommended for stable esthetic and functional results. We present a case of DE in a partially edentulous patient who benefited from a complex therapy. The prosthetic project of the case involves ceramic veneers associated with dental and implant supported fixed prosthesis for the restoration of esthetics, mastication, phonetics and their maintenance.

This study investigated the distribution and magnitude of stress generated in the enamel of an upper first premolar, after applying normal and excessive occlusal loads in a vertical and horizontal direction, using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Methodology: A 3D virtual model of an upper first premolar was analyzed. The CT images of the tooth were converted into 3D data using the program MIMICS and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used for the stress study. To better understand the distribution of stress generated by occlusal loading, the situation of the enamel in various 3D virtual models was presented. 14 scenarios for the occlusal loading of the virtual models of the upper first premolar were obtained and the areas with the highest concentration of stress were emphasized. Results: In the model with the tooth intact, stress values were higher than the admissible ones in the simulation of the excessive vertical loading, normal horizontal loading and excessive horizontal loading. Stress was found in the buccal cusp area and in the cervical area, mainly on the buccal side of the tooth. In the models with horizontal occlusal tooth wear, stress values were higher than the admissible ones in the simulation of the excessive vertical loading. Stress was found in the cervical area. In the models with oblique occlusal tooth wear, stress values were higher than the admissible ones in the simulation of the normal and excessive horizontal loading. Stress was found mainly in cervical area, on the buccal side of the tooth. Conclusions: The most harmful loads were the heavy vertical ones and the horizontal ones, no matter the magnitude.

According to the International Bruxism Consensus, bruxism refers to the activity of the masticatory muscles reflecting contraction disorders, regardless of whether it is during sleep (SB) or an awake (AB) state. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the activity of the masseter muscle by surface electromyographic (sEMG) recordings. This study was performed on 20 participants with self-reported “possible bruxism” (study group) and 20 participants with no self-reported bruxism (control group); all participants underwent an evaluation of the masseter muscle activity using the dia-BRUXO device, which provides numerical parameters regarding sEMG (the total duration and the type of bruxism specific events, the effort made by the masticatory muscles during the recording period, and the personal bruxism index of each participant). Participants from the study group presented more clenching events during AB, three times more frequent than the control group (p = 0.002, Mann–Whitney U test); for SB, the frequency of clenching and grinding events was comparable within the study group, being more frequent than for the control group; the mean value of the effort index was higher for AB (1.177%) than SB (0.470%) and the same for the duration index, with a mean value of 2.788% for AB and 1.054% for SB. All participants from the control group presented reduced values for all acquired parameters. Overall, the personal bruxism index in AB was approximately four times higher for the study group (2.251%) compared to the control group (0.585%) (p < 0.005, Mann–Whitney U test). Similar values were obtained for SB. All participants with “possible bruxism” from the study group presented a higher activity of the masseter muscle, which is specific for bruxism, thus being defined as “definite bruxism”.

The present study aims to evaluate the osseointegration in small diameter rat bone cavities of a collagen-based material and a synthetic bone graft by using a protocol consisting of three evaluation methods: direct macroscopic examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a histological study. For this study we made three study groups, each of them consisting of twelve laboratory Whistar rats, one for each studied material and one control group. For each study group, six laboratory rats were sacrificed after two months, and the other six after four months in order to evaluate the bone wound healing.The total amount of augmentation was significantly greater in the augmented groups than in the control group. Macroscopic examination of the evolution of augmented bone wound healing with the collagen-based material offered spectacular results especially in the cavities prepared in the calvaria, while in the bone wounds augmented with OssceramNano we always noticed the presence of synthetic material residual particles. The OCT evaluation highlighted the degree of filling of the defect through the lack of refractivity of the collagen-based material, while the higher refractive index of the synthetic bone graft material allowed some spectacular observations. On the histological samples from the first study group, filled with the collagen-based material, we generally have observed the filling of the experimental bone defects with repairing connective tissue with various bone extensions from the surrounding bone tissue The histological assessment of the synthetic bone graft augmented cavities showed firstly the presence of synthetic material residual particles surrounded by a newly formed connective tissue in early stages or a young bone tissue with many osteoblasts in the advanced stages of osseointegration.

Background: Developmental defects of enamel (DDE) are frequently encountered in primary and permanent teeth, yet their etiology is not completely known. Enamel hypoplasia is considered a predisposing factor for early caries. The objective of this study was the evaluation of several risk factors potentially causing DDE and the possible association between DDE and dental caries. Methods: This study was performed on a group of 213 rural children from Romania. It combined a thorough dental examination for all children, and a questionnaire filled in by their mothers, regarding the evolution of their pregnancy and the child’s health status in the first years of life. Results: There was no statistically significant association between DDE presence and data regarding the evolution of pregnancy, mothers’ health status or children’s conditions during early childhood. There was a significant association between the use of amoxicillin, ibuprofen, and cephalosporin during the period of formation of permanent teeth, and one environmental factor (water source), and the presence of DDE (Chi Square, p < 0.05). Also, DDEs were associated with the presence of caries (Fisher, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Children who consumed water from private wells and children who received medication during early childhood developed more enamel defects, presenting a higher risk of caries development.