The restoration of endodontically treated teeth is a topic that is extensively studied and yet remains controversial. This article emphasizes the characteristics of endodontically treated teeth and some principles to be observed when restorations of these teeth are planned. It was concluded that the amount of remaining coronal tooth structure and functional requirements determine the best way to restore these teeth, indicating the material to be used, direct or indirect restorations, associated or not to posts.

Several impression materials are available in the Brazilian marketplace to be used in oral rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of different impression materials used for fixed partial dentures following the manufacturers' instructions. A master model representing a partially edentulous mandibular right hemi-arch segment whose teeth were prepared to receive full crowns was used. Custom trays were prepared with auto-polymerizing acrylic resin and impressions were performed with a dental surveyor, standardizing the path of insertion and removal of the tray. Alginate and elastomeric materials were used and stone casts were obtained after the impressions. For the silicones, impression techniques were also compared. To determine the impression materials' accuracy, digital photographs of the master model and of the stone casts were taken and the discrepancies between them were measured. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and Duncan's complementary test. Polyether and addition silicone following the single-phase technique were statistically different from alginate, condensation silicone and addition silicone following the double-mix technique (p ≤ .05), presenting smaller discrepancies. However, condensation silicone was similar (p ≥ .05) to alginate and addition silicone following the double-mix technique, but different from polysulfide. The results led to the conclusion that different impression materials and techniques influenced the stone casts' accuracy in a way that polyether, polysulfide and addition silicone following the single-phase technique were more accurate than the other materials.Descriptors: Dental impression materials; Dental impression technique; Fixed partial denture.

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This study aimed to verify the effect of modified section method and laser-welding on the accuracy of fit of ill-fitting commercially pure titanium (cp Ti) and Ni-Cr alloy one-piece cast frameworks. Two sets of similar implant-supported frameworks were constructed. Both groups of six 3-unit implant-supported fixed partial dentures were cast as one-piece [I: Ni-Cr (control) and II: cp Ti] and evaluated for passive fitting in an optical microscope with both screws tightened and with only one screw tightened. All frameworks were then sectioned in the diagonal axis at the pontic region (III: Ni-Cr and IV: cp Ti). Sectioned frameworks were positioned in the matrix (10-Ncm torque) and laser-welded. Passive fitting was evaluated for the second time. Data were submitted to anova and Tukey-Kramer honestly significant difference tests (P < 0.05). With both screws tightened, one-piece cp Ti group II showed significantly higher misfit values (27.57 +/- 5.06 microm) than other groups (I: 11.19 +/- 2.54 microm, III: 12.88 +/- 2.93 microm, IV: 13.77 +/- 1.51 microm) (P < 0.05). In the single-screw-tightened test, with readings on the opposite side to the tightened side, Ni-Cr cast as one-piece (I: 58.66 +/- 14.30 microm) was significantly different from cp Ti group after diagonal section (IV: 27.51 +/- 8.28 microm) (P < 0.05). On the tightened side, no significant differences were found between groups (P > 0.05). Results showed that diagonally sectioning ill-fitting cp Ti frameworks lowers misfit levels of prosthetic implant-supported frameworks and also improves passivity levels of the same frameworks when compared to one-piece cast structures.

Results of this study showed that casting diagonally sectioned frameworks lowers misfit levels of prosthetic implant-supported frameworks and also improves the levels of passivity to the same frameworks when compared to structures cast as one piece.

This study compared splinted and non-splinted implant-supported prosthesis with and without a distal proximal contact using a digital image correlation method. An epoxy resin model was made with acrylic resin replicas of a mandibular first premolar and second molar and with threaded implants replacing the second premolar and first molar. Splinted and non-splinted metal-ceramic screw-retained crowns were fabricated and loaded with and without the presence of the second molar. A single-camera measuring system was used to record the in-plane deformation on the model surface at a frequency of 1.0Hz under a load from 0 to 250N. The images were then analyzed with specialist software to determine the direct (horizontal) and shear strains along the model. Not splinting the crowns resulted in higher stress transfer to the supporting implants when the second molar replica was absent. The presence of a second molar and an effective interproximal contact contributed to lower stress transfer to the supporting structures even for non-splinted restorations. Shear strains were higher in the region between the molars when the second molar was absent, regardless of splinting. The opposite was found for the region between the implants, which had higher shear strain values when the second molar was present. When an effective distal contact is absent, non-splinted implant-supported restorations introduce higher direct strains to the supporting structures under loading. Shear strains appear to be dependent also on the region within the model, with different regions showing different trends in strain changes in the absence of an effective distal contact.

The softer resin veneer helped to spread the load more evenly amongst the supporting teeth and implants, thus reducing the strains in the simulant bone block. Conversely, using the harder porcelain veneer resulted in the load being concentrated within one or two teeth or implants, thus leading to higher strain values in the bone block.

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