OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the effect of a minimally invasive mesial-occlusaldistal (mod) preparation on the marginal adaptation of ceramic and composite inlays with the aim of saving sound dental substance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Class II mod cavities were prepared in 50 extracted human molars and randomly allocated to five groups (n = 10). In all groups, the mesialproximal box margins were located in the dentin, 1 mm below the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), while the distal box margins were 1 mm above the CEJ. In groups A and B, conventional standard preparations with a divergent angle of = 6°were prepared. In groups C, D, and E, minimally invasive standard preparations with a convergent angle of = 10°were prepared. In groups A and D, composite inlays and, in groups B and C, ceramic inlays were fabricated (chairside economical restoration of esthetic ceramics (CEREC)) and adhesively inserted. In group E, a direct composite filling using the incremental technique was placed. Replicas were taken before and after thermomechanical loading (1,200,000 cycles, 50/5°C, max. load 49 N). Marginal integrity (tooth-luting composite, luting composite-inlay) was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (×200). The percentage of continuous margins in the different locations was compared between and within groups before and after cycling, using ANOVA and Scheffé post hoc test. RESULTS: After the thermomechanical loading, no significant differences were observed between the different groups with respect to the interface of luting composite-inlay. At the interface of toothluting composite for preparations involving the dentin, groups A and B behaved significantly better compared to the control group E, which in turn were not different to groups C and D. CONCLUSION: Composite and ceramic inlays inserted in minimally invasive prepared mod cavities result in margins not different from those of inlays placed in conventional mod preparations. Direct composite filling margins, however, were inferior to those attained by conventional indirect restorations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Minimally invasive preparations for mod inlays with undercuts show marginal adaptation equal to that of conventional inlay preparation design. Keywords: Composite inlay, ceramic inlay; minimally-invasive; marginal adaption Declaration of interests:The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest. AbstractObjectives To evaluate the effect of a minimally-invasive mod-preparation on the marginal adaptation of ceramic and composite inlays with the aim of saving sound dental substance. Materials and MethodsClass II mod-cavities were prepared in 50 extracted human molars and randomly allocated to five groups (n=10). In all groups, the mesial-proximal-box-margins were located in dentin, 1 mm below the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), while the distal-boxmargins were 1 mm above the CEJ. In group A and B, conventional standard preparations with a divergent angle of α = 6° were prepared. In Group C, D and E minimally invasive standard preparation...

Controversy prevails over the effect of overglazing on the fracture strength of ceramic materials. Therefore, the effects of different surface finishes on the compressive fracture strength of machinable ceramic materials were investigated in this study. Plates prepared from four commercial brands of ceramic materials were either surface-polished or overglazed (n=10 per ceramic material for each surface finish), and bonded to flat surfaces of human dentin using a resin cement. Loads at failure were determined and statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni test. Although no statistical differences in load value were detected between polished and overglazed groups (p>0.05), the fracture load of Vita Mark II was significantly lower than those of ProCAD and IPS Empress CAD, whereas that of IPS e.max CAD was significantly higher than the latter two ceramic materials (p<0.05). It was concluded that overglazed and polished surfaces produced similar compressive fracture strengths irrespective of the machinable ceramic material tested, and that fracture strength was material-dependent.

Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the measurement of palatal mucosa thickness using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to create a conversion formula to evaluate palatal mucosa thickness more accurately. We then evaluated the palatal mucosa thickness in a Japanese population using CBCT and the conversion formula. Materials and methods We evaluated palatal mucosa thickness in 10 healthy subjects at 15 sites using CBCT, digital impression, and K file. Multiple regression analysis was performed to create a conversion formula to measure thickness accurately. We then obtained CBCT data from 174 patients retrospectively, applied the conversion formula, and evaluated palatal mucosa thickness. Results Sites of measurement affected measurement error. Measurement using CBCT was 0.34 ± 0.04 mm smaller than actual measurement; therefore, a conversion formula was created. Male, age ≥60 years, and probing pocket depth ≥4 mm had significant and positive associations with palatal mucosa thickness; however, no association was observed between bleeding on probing and palatal mucosa thickness. Conclusion CBCT is useful for the noninvasive and accurate measurement of palatal mucosa thickness.

In this paper, we report on a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS)-based piezoresistive sensor for measuring shear stress induced by an airflow. The advantages of the proposed sensor include a simple sensing method and a high resonance frequency due to the small size of the sensing elements. Our sensor consists of a pair of 3 µm thick cantilevers with piezoresistors formed on the sidewall of their hinges to detect lateral deformation in the cantilevers induced by an airflow. Each cantilever has a 200 µm  ×  400 µm plate supported by two 150 µm long, 4 µm wide beams. The piezoresistors on the two cantilevers are designed to deform in opposite manners when a shear stress is applied and in the same manner when a pressure is applied. Therefore, the applied shear stress can be detected from the difference in the responses of the two cantilevers without becoming conflated with pressure. In this paper, the design, fabrication and evaluation of the proposed sensor are reported and compared to numerical simulation results. From the experimental results, the resolution of the sensor and its first resonance frequency are 1.3 Pa and 3.9 kHz, respectively. Moreover, we show that the effect of temperature on the readout of the sensor can be eliminated using a temperature-compensating piezoresistor fabricated on the same sensor chip. Finally, using the fabricated sensor, the measurement of the shear stress induced by an airflow with velocity between  −10 and 10 m s−1 is demonstrated.

To verify the effect of abutment tooth location on the accuracy of digital impressions obtained using an intraoral scanner (IOS) for removable partial dentures (RPDs). Methods: The target abutment teeth included the left first premolar (#34), second molar (#37), and right second premolar (#45) in a mandibular Kennedy class II model and the left and right second molars (#37, #47) in a class III model. Only #37 was isolated from the remaining teeth by the mucosal area in both models. Digital impressions were obtained using a desktop scanner (reference data) and an IOS (IOS data; scanning origin #37; n=10). The general trueness based on the entire model superimposition (T G ), local trueness (T L ) of an individual tooth, and dimensional accuracy (coordinate and linear accuracy) of the IOS data of the target abutment teeth were compared (α=0.05). Results: In both models, #37 showed significantly inferior T G (P<0.01), superior T L (P<0.01), and mesial coordinate displacement (P<0.01 and P<0.05 in class II and III models, respectively). Intra-model comparisons showed that #45 in the class II model and #47 in the class III model had significantly inferior linear accuracy (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively) and buccal coordinate displacement (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively) compared with the other target teeth. Conclusions: In digital impressions of RPDs, isolation of abutment teeth by mucosal areas can reduce general trueness based on the entire dental arch and mesial tooth displacement, whereas increased distance from the scanning origin can adversely affect local trueness and dimensional accuracy.