The oral environment significantly influences the esthetic appearance of CAD/CAM provisional restorative materials. Therefore, a veneering layer is required. Bonding veneering resin composites to these materials presents challenges, particularly under conditions of thermal aging. This study evaluated the impact of various surface treatments and thermal aging on the bond strength between veneering resin and CAD/CAM provisional materials. Fifty disk-shaped specimens of each CAD/CAM material (CAD-Temp, Everest C-Temp, and PEEK), measuring 10 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height, were fabricated. After being ultrasonically cleaned, specimens were embedded in acrylic resin blocks, leaving one surface exposed for surface treatments. Specimens were assigned to five groups at random. Group C: no surface treatments applied; DB: mechanically roughened with a diamond bur; DB + TC: DB group subjected to 5000 cycles of thermocycling; SB: treated with aluminum oxide airborne abrasion; SB + TC: SB group subjected to 5000 cycles of thermocycling. After the surface treatments, the primer and resin veneering composite were applied to the specimens. The shear bond strength (SBS) was calculated using a universal testing machine and the mode of failure was evaluated with an optical stereomicroscope with 40× magnification. Scanning electron microscopy evaluation was conducted to examine the surface topography of the materials’ surfaces after surface treatments. C-Temp in the SB group exhibited the highest SBS values (20.38 ± 1.04 MPa), while CAD-Temp in the C group showed the lowest values (4.60 ± 0.54 MPa). PEEK recorded significantly higher SBS values in DB + TC and SB + TC groups (9.26 ± 1.07 and 12.92 ± 0.97 MPa, respectively) compared to CAD-Temp in DB + TC and SB + TC groups (6.04 ± 0.76 and 8.82 ± 0.86 MPa, respectively). C-Temp exhibited higher SBS without surface treatment (13.11± 0.55 MPa), whereas PEEK showed higher SBS after diamond bur roughening and air particle abrasion (10.87 ± 1.02 MPa, and 14.37 ± 0.98 MPa, respectively). The thermocycling significantly reduced SBS values for C-Temp in the DB + TC and SB + TC groups (11.18 ± 0.92, 15.56 ± 0.87 MPa, respectively) and CAD-Temp in the DB + TC and SB + TC (6.04 ± 0.76 MPa and 8.82 ± 0.86 MPa, respectively). Conversely, the thermocycling had no significant effect on SBS values for PEEK material in the air particle abrasion group (12.92 ± 0.97 MPa).

Coronal microleakage, the passage of fluids and bacteria through the interface between the temporary restoration and the tooth structure, can potentially result in endodontic treatment failure. This study evaluated and compared the sealing efficacy of various temporary restorative materials utilized during endodontic procedures. All seventy premolar teeth were extracted, measured, and restored, except for the negative control group, where the teeth were left whole. There were eight distinct groupings created from the teeth. Sound teeth were utilized in the n = 5 (Group 1) negative control group. A cavity after endodontic treatment was left vacant in the positive control group (n = 5, Group 2). Six experimental groups, each with ten specimens, had access cavities restored using various temporary materials (Group 3: Cavit-W, Group 4: Systemp. inlay, Group 5: Cotton + Systemp. inlay, Group 6: Cotton + Cavit-W, Group 7: Teflon + Systemp. inlay and Group 8: Teflon + Cavit-W). The teeth were submitted to thermocycling, and a microleakage test was performed. Depth of dye penetration was measured. The collected data were statistically analyzed (α = 0.05). Gp 7: Teflon + Systemp. inlay obtained the lowest infiltration values with no significant difference than (Gp 4: Systemp.inlay) and (Gp 8: Teflon + Cavit-W). Whereas (Gp 5: Cotton + Systemp.inlay) and (Gp 6: Cotton + Cavit-W) presented the highest significant microleakage values among other experimental groups. Regarding temporization after endodontic treatment, Teflon combined with Systemp.inlay and Cavit-W presented the best temporary materials regarding microleakage control. At the same time, cotton combined with Cavit-W presented the worst temporary material for microleakage control. Cotton is not to be used in the temporization of endodontic-treated teeth. Creating a tight seal in root canals that have undergone endodontic treatment is crucial for a successful, durable final restoration. Clinical and laboratory research results are an essential factor in determining how well endodontic materials seal.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare, including dentistry, by enhancing diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient care; therefore, un

Background and Objectives: This study examined dental students’ challenges with root canal treatment (RCT). It also assessed patients’ perceptions of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Materials and Methods: The study utilized three prevalidated questionnaires. One questionnaire was administered to dental students to assess their challenges related to various aspects of RCT. Another questionnaire was distributed to patients, comparing demographic factors such as age and gender to the tooth type, pain scores before and after RCT, and socioeconomic status. The third questionnaire focused on patients’ OHRQoL considering age, gender, tooth types, pain, and socioeconomic status using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 scale (OHIP-14). A total of 75 dental students filled out the survey, and patient-related questionnaires were filled out by 585 patients with the following demographics: age: young adults n = 385 (65.81%), middle-aged adults n = 200 (34.19%); gender: males n = 366 (62.56%), and females n = 219 (37.44%). Categorical data were analyzed using frequency and percentage. Chi-square tests were used for comparative analysis, and one-way ANOVA was used when more than two variables were present. A p-value of ≤0.05 was set as statistically significant. Results: Dental students perceived themselves as competent in performing RCT but faced difficulties with canal localization in middle-aged patients (p < 0.01) and in communicating with female patients (p = 0.009). There was a significant difference in preoperative (p = 0.007) and postoperative pain levels (p = 0.003) when comparing genders. Overall, there was a 30.60% reduction in pain levels. The OHIP-14 scale indicated high patient satisfaction (78.9%), with physical disability (26.16%) and psychological discomfort (23.33%) being the most affected domains. Among different variables, socioeconomic status was statistically significant, with patients of lower socioeconomic status reporting higher satisfaction levels (p = 0.02). No significant differences in OHRQoL were found based on age or gender. Conclusions: The OHRQoL was high among patients treated by dental students, with those with a low socioeconomic status being the most satisfied.

Background/Objectives : Pulp stones are calcified masses within the dental pulp that may complicate endodontic procedures. Although cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been reported to detect pulp stones more frequently than two-dimensional radiography, direct comparisons between digital periapical radiography (DPR) and CBCT, particularly at different voxel sizes, remain limited. This study aimed to compare pulp stone detection rates between DPR and CBCT acquired at two voxel sizes and to evaluate inter-modality agreement using a location-based analysis for pulp stone identification in extracted teeth. Methods: Fifty-two extracted human teeth were examined using DPR and CBCT at voxel sizes of 0.2 mm and 0.1 mm under standardized ex vivo conditions. Pulp stones were evaluated in the coronal and radicular regions using a binary scoring system (presence/absence). Detection rates were compared across imaging modalities, and inter-modality agreement was evaluated using McNemar’s test in the analysis stratified by pulp stone location. Associations between pulp stone detection and age, gender, tooth status, and stone location were explored using chi-square tests. Results: CBCT at 0.1 mm demonstrated the highest detection rate for pulp stones (63.5%), followed by CBCT at 0.2 mm (57.7%) and DPR (50%), with no statistically significant differences among modalities (p > 0.05). Agreement analysis showed that CBCT at 0.2 mm had higher agreement with CBCT at 0.1 mm than DPR, particularly in the coronal region, whereas DPR showed lower agreement in the radicular region. No significant associations were observed between pulp stone detection and age, gender, or tooth status. Conclusions: Under standardized ex vivo conditions, CBCT showed numerically higher pulp stone detection rates than DPR. Location-based agreement analysis indicated greater consistency between CBCT voxel sizes than between CBCT and DPR, particularly in the radicular region. These findings highlight differences in pulp stone detectability across imaging modalities and voxel resolutions and may help explain variability in radiographic detection under controlled conditions.

Actinomycosis is gram‐positive saprophytic infection that is characterized by chronic suppurative and granulomatous lesion. It could be found in the oral cavity, lungs, colon, and genital area. In the oral cavity, it is commonly associated with infected root canals presented as persistent infections. This case reports demonstrate an atypical presentation of actinomycosis in the lower left mandibular canine/premolar area showing painless soft tissue lesion associated with bone sequestration. Nonsurgical curettage of the lesion followed by nonsurgical root canal treatment and retreatment to the offended teeth was determined as the treatment modality for this case.