Thermal image analysis of electrothermal debonding of ceramic brackets: an in vitro study

Thermography as a non-ionizing quantitative tool for diagnosing periapical inflammatory lesions

Background

Thermography is a contemporary imaging modality based on acquiring and analyzing thermal data using non-contact devices. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of thermography, compared with that of the reference-standard, for the diagnosis of periapical inflammatory lesions and to evaluate the temperature ranges for acute pulpitis with apical periodontitis (AAP), acute periapical abscess (AA) and chronic periapical abscess (CA).

Methods

AAP, AA and CA were diagnosed based on clinical and radiographic criteria. Thermographic data were acquired using the FLIR E-5 Infrared Camera. Extraoral thermal images were taken from the front and right and left sides of patients whose mouths were closed, and one intraoral thermal image was taken from the palatal perspective. Agreement in the diagnoses based on the combination of clinical and radiographic assessments and the thermographic evaluation was calculated. The temperature ranges of the three diagnostic subgroups were also measured.

Results

A total of 80 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean intraoral thermal image temperature for AA was 37.26 ± 0.36, that for CA was 35.03 ± 0.63 and that for AAP was 36.07 ± 0.45. The differences between the mean intraoral thermal temperatures of the three diagnostic groups were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The result of the Kappa coefficient of agreement between the combination of clinical and radiographic assessments and the thermographic evaluation was significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Thermography is an effective, quantitative and nonionizing approach that can be used for the diagnosis of periapical inflammatory lesions. The results of the present study indicated that the highest thermal image temperatures were recorded for AA. Thermography might be able to detect inflammatory reactions during the preclinical stage, leading to early diagnosis.

Immediate and Delayed Effects of Diode Laser on Debonding of Ceramic Brackets: An in vitro Study

AIM

The aim of the study is to evaluate the immediate and delayed effects of diode laser on debonding of ceramic brackets.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 60 human extracted premolar teeth were randomly assigned to three different treatment groups. All teeth were bonded with adhesive precoated (APC) ceramic brackets (3M Unitek). A total of 20 teeth were debonded without lasing (group 1), 20 immediately after lasing (group 2), and 20 1 hour after lasing (group 3). For the lasing groups (groups 2 and 3), access cavity was prepared on the occlusal surface to a 2 mm diameter. A transbond plus self-etching primer (3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) and APC PLUS clarity advanced brackets (3M, Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) were used. The shear bond strength (SBS) and adhesive remnant index (ARI) were measured. The internal pulpal wall temperature was noted for the laser groups.

RESULTS

The mean SBS was 15.4, 11.57, and 11.79 MPa for groups 1 to 3 respectively. Post hoc test showed significant difference (p < 0.001) between the control group and the lased groups. For groups 2 and 3, the rise in temperature was at an average of 1.4 and 1.3°C respectively.

CONCLUSION

The SBS of APC brackets decreased by 33.3% on application of diode laser without increasing the internal pulp chamber wall temperature significantly. Shear bond strength remains more or less the same whether debonding is done immediately after lasing or 1 hour after lasing. Diode lasers increased the ARI scores and thus decreased the risk of enamel fracture.

Medical applications of infrared thermography: A review

Abnormal body temperature is a natural indicator of illness. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a fast, passive, non-contact and non-invasive alternative to conventional clinical thermometers for monitoring body temperature. Besides, IRT can also map body surface temperature remotely. Last five decades witnessed a steady increase in the utility of thermal imaging cameras to obtain correlations between the thermal physiology and skin temperature. IRT has been successfully used in diagnosis of breast cancer, diabetes neuropathy and peripheral vascular disorders. It has also been used to detect problems associated with gynecology, kidney transplantation, dermatology, heart, neonatal physiology, fever screening and brain imaging. With the advent of modern infrared cameras, data acquisition and processing techniques, it is now possible to have real time high resolution thermographic images, which is likely to surge further research in this field. The present efforts are focused on automatic analysis of temperature distribution of regions of interest and their statistical analysis for detection of abnormalities. This critical review focuses on advances in the area of medical IRT. The basics of IRT, essential theoretical background, the procedures adopted for various measurements and applications of IRT in various medical fields are discussed in this review. Besides background information is provided for beginners for better understanding of the subject.

Influence of heat from light curing units and dental composite polymerization on cells in vitro

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the use of a light curing unit (LCU) with high light power would result in a higher temperature and therefore a statistically significant lower number of living human gingiva fibroblasts within a pulp chamber model than the use of a light emitting diode (LED) LCU.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The composites Admira, Grandio, Filtek Supreme and Filtek Z250 were polymerized with the LCUs Swiss Master Light, Optilux 501 and an LED LCU prototype in a mould on top of a pulp chamber model. The temperature was recorded within the pulp chamber with a thermocouple. The cytotoxicity of the polymerized samples was tested by using the MTT test.

RESULTS

In general there was no considerable difference in the temperature increase within the pulp chamber model for the different LCUs and composites. There was no statistically significant difference in the cell number (p=0.3767) when the different LCUs were used.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a high power halogen LCU for a short time or a standard halogen or LED LCU for a longer time did not result in a considerable difference in the temperature increase or the number of living cells within a pulp chamber model. This study indicates not only that the temperature may have an effect on the living cells, but also that cells may be negatively affected by the unpolymerized composite or light of the LCUs.