The purpose of this study was to explore the occlusal force distribution on the dental arch in the intercuspal position and to evaluate the relationship between the clenching strength and the occlusal force distribution. These variables were recorded using the Dental Prescale System in 16 healthy young adults. The number of tooth contacts, occlusal force and occlusal contact area increased linearly as clenching strength increased. The distribution of the occlusal force was greatest at the molar region followed by the premolar and anterior teeth region. The proportion of occlusal force (occlusal force at each region/total occlusal force) on molar regions increased as clenching strength increased. On the contrary, the proportion of occlusal force on the premolar and anterior teeth regions decreased as clenching strength increased. These findings suggest that control of occlusal force is important in diagnosis of the nature of occlusal contacts.

Objectives: In 2002, FDI (World Dental Federation) published a policy advocating that caries be treated by minimal intervention (MI). This MI policy has been accepted worldwide and is taught in universities. But acceptance in general dental practice has been slower, especially in Japan where healthcare payment and practice favor drilling and filling. To help disseminate this MI policy into general practice, the Japanese Society of Conservative Dentistry developed an evidence-based clinical Guideline for restoring carious permanent teeth in adult patients. Methods:The Guideline was developed by a committee of nine university clinicians and a librarian. The committee selected the most frequent clinical questions in treating caries and used electronic databases to search and assess the best scientific evidence for each. Members then added their clinical experience and used the Delphi Method to discuss and reach consensus on each question on treating caries with MI policy. Graded recommendations and guidance were made for each clinical question. The provisional Guideline was strengthened after review and discussion with university researchers and general practitioners. Results:The Guideline addresses the 16 most frequent clinical questions in treating adult caries, including restorative methods and how to tackle root caries. Recommendations for treatment using MI policy were developed using the best scientific evidence and consensus of experienced clinicians.Clinical Significance: The Guideline offers a practical expert view of treating caries with the MI policy that incorporates the best scientific evidence, the latest techniques, the most preferable materials and the general consensus of expert clinicians. / 262

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In terms of mechanical properties and durability, the surface of glass fillers should be decontaminated in order to optimize the silanization process for the production of resin composites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the decontamination efficiency of 18 cleaning methods on glass fillers as pretreatment of silane coupling. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that SiO(2) boiled with a 5% sodium peroxodisulfate aqueous solution for 15 min, followed by ultrasonic rinsing with acetone for 30 min was most effective among all the decontamination methods investigated. In addition, nano-indentation measurements on SiO(2) treated by the above-mentioned method revealed that the surface was not significantly weakened as compared to untreated SiO(2). The results of this study should lead to an improved filler-matrix coupling and thus contribute to the development of better wear and fatigue-resistant composites. Therefore, sodium peroxodisulfate is proposed as a presilanization filler decontamination step in the production process of resin composites.