Root canal morphology of mandibular canines in the Syrian population: A CBCT Assessment

Introduction:

The recent study aimed to assess the root canal morphology of mandibular canines in the Syrian population depending on the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 418 fully developed mandibular canines in Syrian individuals aged between 16 and 60 years were included. The presence of at least one mandibular right or left canine with fully developed roots was recorded in each image. The root canal configurations were classified according to the method of Vertucci. The mandibular canines were examined in sagittal, coronal, and axial dimensions. The CBCT images were evaluated by three endodontists with at least 9 years of clinical experience in endodontics. Data were analyzed with descriptive analysis and Chi-square tests using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA).

Results:

Out of the 418 mandibular canines, 409 (97.85%) were single-rooted canines while only 9 (2.15%) were double-rooted canines. The most common type of Vertucci in single-rooted canines was Type I (1-1) in the percentage of 95.87% and the least type was Type V (1-2) in the percentage of (0.24%). The Chi-square tests showed no significant association between gender and number of roots (P = 0.64) and gender and root canal configuration in single-rooted canine (P = 0.194).

Conclusion:

Single-rooted with Type I canal configuration was the most common anatomy in mandibular canines in the Syrian population. Incidence of more than one root canal foramen at the end of the single root was detected in one case only.

Internal Bleaching of Endodontically Treated Teeth: A Dental Practitioner's Perspective from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

AIM

To determine the knowledge and attitude of dental practitioners (DPs) for internal bleaching technique (IBT) in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was developed based on a convenient sampling of dental practitioners and specialists working in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. DPs responded to a structured, self-administered questionnaire for evaluation of their knowledge and attitude toward IBT. The questionnaire had two components: (i) the characteristics of the study participants; and (ii) the items related to the internal bleaching technique (IBT). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 25.0), with descriptive statistics and a bivariate analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 532 dental practitioners (61.3% males and 38.7% females) participated in this study. The response rate of participation was estimated at 92.5%. Almost 37% participants considered the sodium perborate as the most commonly used dental material for internal bleaching. Almost 70% participants reported that superficial enamel discoloration was a contraindication for internal bleaching in endodontically treated teeth.

CONCLUSION

DPs have good knowledge and attitude on use of IBT for discolored teeth. In general, there is a need to improve knowledge and attitude of dental professionals about the IBT by attending continuing dental educational programs.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Saving of the remaining tooth structure is a main principle of the different types of dental treatments. So the IBT should be known for all dental practitioners to use it before going to more aggressive dental treatment options such as full crowns. How to cite this article: Doumani M, Alotaibi AN, Al Hussain F, et al. Internal Bleaching of Endodontically Treated Teeth: A Dental Practitioner's Perspective from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Contemp Dent Pract 2019;20(10):1141-1145.

Transducer-like enhancer of split 1 (TLE1) expression as a diagnostic immunohistochemical marker for synovial sarcoma and its association with morphological features

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a malignant soft tissue tumour of uncertain histogenesis which is defined by the translocation t(X;18) that produces the fusion oncogenes SYT-SSX. The emergence of transducer-like enhancer of split 1 (TLE1) as a new immunohistochemical (IHC) marker for SS has offered an alternative to pathologists in differentiating SS from other histological mimics, especially in the setting of limited molecular facilities. We investigated the utility of IHC TLE1 expression against histomorphological features and other IHC markers in SS and non-SS tumours. Twenty-six cases of histologically diagnosed SS and 7 non-SS (for which SS was in the differential diagnosis) were subjected to TLE1 IHC staining, which was graded from 0 to 3+. Of the 26 SS cases, 12 each were biphasic and monophasic types and 2 were poorly-differentiated. TLE1 was expressed in 22/26 (84.6%) SS cases, of which 11/12 (91.7%) were biphasic, 10/12 (83.3%) monophasic and 1/2 (50%) poorly-differentiated tumours. Two of 7 (28.6%) non-SS cases were positive for TLE1. Immunopositivity of SS and non-SS cases for EMA were 20/26 (76.9%) and 2/7 (28.6%) respectively and for CK7 were 7/26 (26.9%) and 0/7 (0%) respectively. All cases were negative for CD34. Consistent histomorphological features for SS included mild nuclear pleomorphism, alternating tumour cellularity, fascicular growth pattern and thick ropy stromal collagen. In conclusion, TLE1 is not a stand-alone diagnostic IHC marker for SS. However, in the absence of molecular studies, it can contribute added diagnostic value in combination with morphological evaluation and other IHC markers such as EMA and CD34.