Objectives:To investigate voids in different root canal sealers using micro-CT and nano-CT, and to explore the feasibility of using nano-CT for quantitative analysis of sealer filling quality.Methods:30 extracted mandibular central incisors were randomly assigned into three groups according to the applied root canal sealers (Total BC Sealer, Sure Seal Root, AH Plus) by the single cone technique. Subsequently, micro-CT and nano-CT were performed to analyse the incidence rate of voids, void fraction, void volume and their distribution in each sample.Results:Micro-CT evaluation showed no significant difference among sealers for the incidence rate of voids or void fraction in the whole filling materials (p > 0.05), whereas a significant difference was found between AH Plus and the other two sealers using nano-CT (p < 0.05). All three sealers presented less void volume in the apical third; however, higher void volumes were observed in the apical and coronal thirds in AH Plus using micro-CT (p < 0.05), while na...

While several materials and techniques have been used to assess the quality of root canal fillings in micro-CT images, the lack of standardization in scanning protocols has produced conflicting results. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine a cutoff voxel size value for the assessment of root canal filling voids in micro-CT and nano-CT images. Twenty freshly extracted mandibular central incisors were used. Root canals were prepared with nickel titanium files to an ISO size 40/0.06 taper and then filled with a single cone (40/0.06 taper) and AH Plus sealer. The teeth were scanned with different voxel sizes with either micro-CT (5.2, 8.1, 11.2, and 16.73 μm) or nano-CT (1.5 and 5.0 μm) equipment. Images were reconstructed and analyzed with the NRecon and CTAn software. Void proportion and void volume were calculated for each tooth in the apical, middle, and coronal thirds of the root canal. Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc Mann–Whitney U tests were performed with a significance level of 5%. In micro-CT images, significantly different results were detected among the tested voxel sizes for void proportion and void volume, whereas no such differences were found in nano-CT images (p>0.05). Micro-CT images showed higher void numbers over the entire root length, with statistically significant differences between the voxel size of 16.73 μm and the other sizes (p<0.05). The values of the different nano-CT voxel sizes did not significantly differ from those of the micro-CT (5.2, 8.1, and 11.2 μm), except for the voxel size of 16.73 μm (p<0.05). All tested voxel sizes enabled the detection of root canal filling voids except for the voxel size of 16.73 μm. Bearing in mind the limitations of this study, it seems that a voxel size of 11.2 μm can be used as a reliable cutoff value for the assessment of root canal filling voids in micro-CT imaging.

Objectives: Because of economic and political issues, Turkish Cypriots have been emigrating from Cyprus since the 1920s, especially to the United Kingdom, other European countries and Australia. Recently, according to the UK House of Commons, Home Affairs Committee, ~300,000 Cypriot Turks were living in the United Kingdom. However, this ethnic population residing in the United Kingdom has been insufficiently analysed. Although many Turkish Cypriots have been living abroad, little is known about the dental characteristics of this group. Premolar teeth, especially maxillary premolars, pose great challenges in endodontic treatment because of the number of roots and canals, and the variation in the configurations of the pulp cavity. Thus, it was considered valuable to determine the morphological characteristic of premolar teeth in a Turkish Cypriot population to aid clinicians in performing endodontic treatment in this ethnic population. Materials and Methods: The sample for this cross-sectional study consisted of a retrospective evaluation of cone-beam CT scans of 263 adult patients (age range 16–80 years). The number of roots and their morphology, the number of canals per root and the canal configuration were examined. The root canal configurations were also classified according to the scheme of Vertucci in the maxillary and mandibular premolar teeth. Pearson’s χ²-test was performed among canal configurations, sides and gender (P⩽0.05). Results: In the present study, most root canal configurations were type IV (76.8%) and type I (49.4%) in the maxillary first and second premolars, respectively, whereas most root canal configurations were type I (93%) in both mandibular first and second premolars. In total, four (0.9%) teeth in the maxillary first premolars and two (0.4%) teeth in the maxillary second molar premolars had three roots. Conclusions: This is the first population-based study to focus solely on Turkish Cypriots’ root canal anatomy. Our findings will be valuable for dental professionals who treat many Turkish Cypriot patients, in the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of Virtual Reality Dental Simulators (VRDS) on preclinical training in endodontics for undergraduate dental students. Purposive sampling technique was used to target undergraduate dental students at two dental schools: in Qatar and Turkey. After training on endodontic access cavity preparation on upper anterior teeth using acrylic teeth on dental mannequins and virtual reality haptic dental simulator, a questionnaire based on a combination of open- and closed-ended items was distributed to the participants. The sample included 60 dental undergraduate students. The participants reported positive experiences with VRDS and 76% considered it to be helpful in improving their fine motor skills. Endodontic access cavity preparation on VRDS was perceived to be similar to natural and acrylic teeth by 73.34% and 53% of participants, respectively. Overall, 85% of participants supported the use of VRDS training to supplement conventional training on dental mannequins but also recommended the need for improvements in VRDS training in endodontics. The findings of this study underscore the benefits of VRDS in endodontics. Future research involving larger samples from multiple institutions may help to optimize VRDS in undergraduate dental education.