Clinical motor skills are essential to train dental students. There is evidence that imagery serves to acquire and improve motor skills, since imagining an action, activates the same neural areas as when this is physically performed. The aim of this pilot randomized clinical trial was to examine the feasibility of tridimensional visualization associated with mental imagery on the development of fine motor skills of dental students compared to conventional training. Seventeen dental students without previous preclinical experiences, between 18-25 years old were recruited. After giving a theoretical lecture on the inlay preparation, participants were randomly allocated in two groups. The Experimental Group (N=9) performed daily 30 minutes of "mental practice" after visualizing a video showing the execution of an ideal inlay preparation alternating it with black screen periods to facilitate the imagery. The Control Group (N= 8) performed a 30 minutes "hands on practice" daily of the same preparation. On the fifth day, both groups carried out an inlay preparation physically, which was scanned and overlapped to the virtual preparation to assess accuracy. The execution time and accuracy of the preparation performed with regard to an ideal preparation were compared between groups. The learning style and fine motor skills at baseline were similar in all participants (P>0.001). No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of accuracy. The time of execution in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. This pilot study showed that visualization associated to mental imagery could develop fine motor skills in dental students, requiring less execution time than physical practice.

A minimum insertion torque has been suggested for immediate function of regular diameter implants. Even when there is a growing tendency to use Mini Dental Implants (MDIs) for immediate function of dentures, there is no clinical data concerning MDIs insertion torque, nor its influence on implant failure. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the insertion torque of immediate loaded MDIs in edentulous patients and its association with risk failure. Ninety MDIs were placed in the anterior mandible of 45 edentulous patients, two per patient. The insertion torque was recorded with an electronic device and failures were documented during two years follow-up. All implants were immediately loaded with overdentures, using ball (44/90) or bar (46/90) attachments. A Kaplan-Meier survival probability estimator and a fitted multiple Cox regression model were performed to establish the influence of insertion torque and other clinical parameters on implant risk failure. The average insertion torque of 90 MDIs was 12.5±7.8 Ncm. A cumulative survival rate of 94.2% (5/90) was found by means of the Kaplan-Meier estimation. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model showed no association between insertion torque and MDIs failure. MDIs have much lower insertion torque than average conventional implants. The insertion torque of MDIs immediately loaded with mandibular dentures, seems not to be a risk factor associated to failure, at two years follow-up.

IntroductionClinical motor skills are essential to train dental students. There is evidence that imagery serves to acquire and improve motor skills, but there is scarce information on its application in dental education. In order to broadly map the available evidence and to detect knowledge gaps in the mental training used to develop motor skills in dentistry, a scoping review was conducted.Materials and MethodsA structured search was conducted to identify relevant references from the Web of Science, Scopus and MEDLINE/PubMed databases for studies addressing mental training methods applied to develop motor skills in dentistry.ResultsA total of 758 articles were screened and four were selected, all of which were randomized clinical trials. Three studies investigated the effectiveness of visual imagery, and one investigated kinesthetic imagery. The research theme identified was motor skill acquisition.ConclusionThe reviewed studies indicate the usefulness of mental training for skill acquisition in dentistry. To improve the generalizability of the results, further research with standardized mental training on motor skills in dentistry is needed.

Several methods have been described to shorten orthodontic treatments, but the main disadvantage is their invasiveness. Animal studies have shown that piezopuncture can accelerate the rate of tooth movement without causing collateral damage. Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcome, in terms of safety and efficacy, of a flapless piezopuncture on maxillary canine distalization. Methods: A split-mouth randomized clinical trial was carried out on five patients. Piezopuncture was performed on a random side of the maxillary arch to assess the rate of canine movement on the stimulated side, compared to the non-stimulated control side after 15 (T1), 30 (T2), and 60 (T3) days. Also, immediate side effects and changes in buccal bone thickness after one year were assessed. Results: Distalization on the intervention versus control side at T1 was 1.24±0.21mm versus 0.64±0.33mm (p=0.005); at T2 it was 2.00±0.28mm versus 1.36±0.49mm (p=0.046); and at T3 it was 4.28±0.66mm versus 3.65±0.88mm (p=0.102). No adverse effects related to the surgical procedure were observed or reported by patients. The thickness of the buccal bone plate showed no significant changes. Conclusions: Flapless piezopuncture accelerates the rate of tooth movement in orthodontic patients over the first 15 days and its effect declines over the next 45 days.