Features

It’s just vape, man!

My son and I were in Las Vegas at the Nascar Sprint race and the Richard Petty Driving Experience this past March. Besides watching Jeff Gordon set the top lap time, driving the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 190mph, we were also fortunate enough to take the cars out on the track ourselves, following a … Read more

Letters to the Editor: Good Character and the Dalhousie Dental Students

he article by J. Koziebrocki and D. Litwin (Oral Health, April 2015) discusses why being of good character is a requisite for licencing dentists. The authors suggest that regulatory bodies charged with assessing the good character of the Dalhousie dental students should consider the following: “does the activity in question, weighed against all of the … Read more

Drug Shortages

In February of 2012, many Canadians became aware of an issue that had been lying dormant for many years: drug shortages. Sandoz, a division of the Swiss giant pharmaceutical company, Novarits International, and located in Boucherville, QC, was forced to close much of its production due to regulatory pressure by the United States Federal Drug … Read more

A Dental Perspective On Electronic Cigarettes: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

AbstractElectronic cigarettes have seen a rapid rise in usage since their introduction. A vigorous debate is currently underway in healthcare and regulatory circles with regards to how they should be received. Worldwide regulatory bodies have taken a wide range of stances and there is conflicting advice from several authorities. This paper aims to focus on … Read more

Diversion of Opiod Analgesic Drugs: A Potential Problem for Dentistry

The diversion of opioid medications used for non-medical purposes is a currently a major public health problem. For example, since 2002, the prevalence of high school seniors in the United States using opioids for non-medical purposes has been 10 percent for hydrocodone and five percent for oxycodone.1 Such abuse can potentially lead to addiction and … Read more

Coronectomy: A review

One of the most common procedures in oral surgery is the removal of third molars. Third molars may be erupted, partially impacted and completely impacted. The removal of these teeth is not without risks and complications.22 One of the more serious complications with removal of the lower third molars is injury to the inferior alveolar … Read more

The Big Picture Of Low Back Pain

Low back pain in the dental profession is quite prevalent. I have written oLn the pervasiveness of this, and the development of it, in previous issues of Oral Health. The implications of such a development within the dental professional can lead to quite an amount of aggravation and pain. In previous articles written in Oral … Read more

The Perceived Issue of Oversupply Dentists

Oral Health’s roundtable of dental professionals discuss dentistry as a commodity, the impact of maldistribution and the need for differentiation. Kathleen Bokrossy, RDH, has been bringing engaging energy to the dental profession for the last 30 years. Kathleen is the founder of D-Sharp Dental Instruments, rdhu, RDH Portfolio Manager and QA Coach where her vision … Read more

Just A Little Help From Our Friends

Debate is healthy. It clarifies issues and it allows us to look at situations critically and with differing perspectives. In endodontics, as with the entire dental profession, debate has been present since its inception. Gutta percha vs. silver cones vs. paste fillers. Fill to the apex, ½ mm short, 1 mm short. V-shaped instrumentation vs. … Read more

Letters To The Editor

Hi Janice, Firstly, having now read the March issue of Oral Health, I congratulate you on producing such a comprehensive high quality issue. It truly is a landmark and confirms my opinion that Oral Health is much the most adventurous journal in Canadian dentistry. James Gavin, DDS Hi Janice, I never thought I’d see the … Read more

EndoVac Apical Negative Pressure: Safe and Effective Endodontic Irrigation from Beginning to END

The ultimate goal of endodontic treatment is the prevention and/or treatment of apical periodontitis; such that there is complete healing and absence of infection1 while the overall long-term goal is the placement of a definitive, clinically successful restoration and preservation of the tooth. Successful endodontic treatment depends on a number of factors, including proper instrumentation, … Read more

A Complicated Endodontic Retreatment Using A New Cordless Obturation System: A Case Report

The main objective of endodontic treatment is the prevention and/or the elimination of apical periodontitis. This is achieved by instrumentation, disinfection, and obturation of the root-canal system in three dimensions. Gutta-percha is the most widely used and accepted obturation material because of its biocompatibility, inertness, dimensional stability, compactability, plasticity when heated, and ease of removal … Read more

Comparison of the Extrusion of Dentin Debris Using a New Instrumentation Concept

Dentin chips, pulp tissue fragments, necrotic tissue, microorganisms and intracanal irrigants may be extruded from the apical foramen during the root canal treatment.1 This may be of great concern since material extruded from the apical foramen may be related to post-operative endodontic pain and/or endodontic flare-up.2 There have been several studies that have evaluated the … Read more

Choosing the correct instrumentation technique

Choosing the correct instrumentation technique for any given clinical situation is a function of both the canal anatomy and the behavioral characteristics of the files being used. As clinicians, we are concerned about an instrument’s ability to shape the canal in as an ideal fashion as possible and its resistance to breakage while doing so. … Read more

An Endodontic Restorative Update

The primary objective of endodontic therapy is to prevent and treat apical periodontitis.1 To effectively achieve this goal, proper cleaning and shaping of the canals, irrigation, and a coronal seal are essential. The objectives of restorative dentistry are to properly restore teeth to function, comfort, and in specific cases, aesthetics. Although the materials and methods … Read more

Root Resorption: An Overview and Case Report Of Endodontic Management

Resorption can be defined as a condition associated with either a physiologic or a pathologic process resulting in a loss of dentin, cementum and/or bone.1 Imfeld describes resorption as the process of biological degradation and assimilation of substances or structures previously produced by the body.2 Recorded observation of root resorption dates back as early as … Read more

Multisonic Ultracleaning in Molars with the GentleWave System

Scope of Conventional and Contemporary Endodontic TreatmentsThe aim of endodontic therapy is to eradicate microbial growth and prevent or treat periradicular disease.1 Successful canal disinfection employs both bio-mechanical and chemo-mechanical means of cleaning. Mechanical preparation, termed bio-mechanical cleaning, prepares the root canal space for delivery of disinfecting irrigants and to remove vital and necrotic tissue … Read more