Practica odontologica最新文献

A wide variety of restoration materials for prosthetic odontology is now available to the dental surgeon, either of the covalent type (acrylic resins), metallic (alloys), ionic (porcelains), or a combination of them, as in the so-called composites, such as the composite resins, or as ceramics-metals mixtures. An example of the latter is a product called Miracle-Mix, a glass ionomere cement reinforced with an amalgam alloy. In those cases where the blend is done by a synterization process, the material is called Cermet. The above-listed alternatives clearly evidence day-to-day advances in odontology, with researchers and manufacturers engaged the world over in improving existing products or developing new ones to enrich the dentist's armamentarium. As a side effect of this constant renewal, those dentists who have failed to update their knowledge fall behind in their practice as they persist in using products they have known for years, and may be deceived by advertisements of too-often unreliable products. It is, therefore, important to be aware of available products and their latest improvements.

Occurrences of phenomena such as creep, flow, proportional limit, yield or aqueous sorption, among others, are responsible for the success of failure of treatments performed in daily dental practice; their full understanding will allow the dentist to explain unexpected and undesirable performance of materials, instruments and equipment. With this purpose, the Standards for Dental Materials, Instruments and Equipment were created to specify the requirements these products must fulfill in order to assure an adequate performance. The first of these Standards is discussed in the present article, in view of its great clinical significance.

Fracture of the left maxillary tuberosity during surgical extraction of multiple teeth, involving the maxillary sinus and pterigomaxillary fossa in a male patient with classic hemophilia due to factor VIII deficiency, is reported. The subject was treated by a private dentist and afterwards admitted at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery unit of the "20 de Noviembre" Hospital, ISSSTE, where extraction was completed and the fracture detected at surgery. The patient was then referred to Hematology and substitute therapy of factor VIII for two weeks was prescribed but, eventually, persistent bleeding led to suturing the external carotid.

A total of 500 orthopantomographic X-rays of Mexican children and teenagers of either sex, aged 7-18, were studied in order to ascertain the development and calcification stages of their third molars, as well as the most frequent anomalies related with them. It was observed that the dental bud appears between ages nine and eleven, and that the third molar is absent in 32.4% of the population, with a predominance of females over males. It was also found that 7.4% of molars evidenced malposition during their early stages of development. In view of such findings, the authors consider that a diagnosis of oligodontia and malposition of the third molar, cannot be established before age 13.

As a basic step in preventive dentistry, oral hygiene should start at the earliest stages of life. In view of the confusing information often generated by mass media over the ideal toothbrushing methods for children, the present review of the pertinent literature was undertaken.

AIDS is currently one of the most important and concerning diseases for dentists, both general and specialized. This review of the literature makes emphasis on the main biological, epidemiological, diagnostic and prognostic aspects of oral hairy leucoplakia which every dental care professionist should know, as well as the importance of those conditions in the evolutionary course of this disease.