“The importance of saving tooth structure is becoming increasingly clear as the population ages, as replacements for lost teeth are having to function for decades,” writes Keith R. Boyer, DDS, in the introduction to the latest collection of the Journal of the California Dental Association,Saving Teeth for Life.
“This issue highlights the important role technology plays in the changing field of endodontics. Patients of all ages can benefit from their dental providers having the knowledge and techniques that improve the effectiveness of saving teeth for life.”
Included in the CDA Journal collection are an update on vital pulp therapy, a review of guided endodontics and the development, design and applications of static guides, a narrative review to guide case selection and treatment of aging patients and a case report on the use of decoronation and root-end surgery on an unrestorable and infected maxillary central incisor.
Dentists can earn C.E. credit by reading one of the articles and successfully completing an online quiz.
Vital pulp therapy: An update
Vital pulp therapy has been the treatment option of choice for teeth with immature apices and healthy, exposed pulps. While calcium hydroxide has been the standard material for these procedures, development of calcium silicate cements has allowed for improved pulpal responses.
“Pulpal tissues previously thought to be irreversibly inflamed have a proven capacity to heal if the microorganisms are eliminated, even in mature permanent teeth,” write Keith R. Boyer, DDS, and Jan Trang Nguyen, DDS, in the article “An Update on Vital Pulp Therapy.” The authors propose a protocol for assessment and conservative treatment of vital pulps based on current evidence.
Aging and endodontics: A case report
The number of individuals ages 60 and older is projected to increase by more than 100% in more than half of California’s counties between 2010 and 2060 — a shift that will result in a larger number of older patients seeking dental care.
In “Aging and Endodontics: A Narrative Review to Guide Case Selection and Treatment,” authors Yaara Berdan, DDS, MBA, and Elisa M. Chávez, DDS, describe how age-related changes in dentition, compounded by physical or cognitive impairments, present challenges to endodontic diagnosis, treatment and response to treatment and why dentists must understand these complexities to ensure they deliver appropriate endodontic care to older adults.
Dentists can read the article and take a short quiz to earn 0.5 units C.E. credit.
Guided endodontics and a case report on root submergence
Also included in this collection are:
- Guided Endodontics, Static Guides Development, Design and Clinical Applications
- Root Submergence by Decoronation and Root-End Resection of a Maxillary Incisor with Concrescence: A Case Report
- Scientific dentistry news, guidance on using Sharps safely and summaries of evaluations and original research conducted by five California dental, RDA, military resident and RDH students who received CDA’s table clinic awards.
Read the full CDA Journal collection, Saving Teeth for Life.