Publications

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of feather-edge finish line and deep chamfer finish line on gingival position and marginal adaptation.

METHODS: Thirty patients requiring restoration of a posterior tooth received zirconia crowns (BruxZir shaded 200). Fifteen patients received subgingival featheredge finish line preparations (intervention group), and the other 15 patients received subgingival deep chamfer finish line preparations (comparator group). CAD/CAM milled zirconia crowns were cemented with resin cement. Position of crown margin (gingival recession) and marginal adaptation measurements were taken at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year. Results were tabulated, and statistical analysis was performed.

RESULTS: The results of gingival recession and marginal adaptation showed no significant difference between featheredge and deep chamfer designs at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS: Monolithic zirconia crowns with subgingival restorative margin designs can be used with deep chamfer and featheredge margin designs, as both designs showed clinically acceptable results regarding gingival recession and marginal adaptation. Both margin designs behaved similarly after 1 year of clinical service, so special attention should be given to the position of the finish line and conservation in the choice of design.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Both margin designs behave comparatively regarding gingival recession and marginal adaptation with zirconia crowns. To favor the more conservative approach that would preserve tooth structure, the featheredge margin design would be preferred, if not otherwise needed. The clinical trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04729569). How to cite this article: El-Khayat H, Anwar EM, Nabil O, et al. Gingival Recession and Marginal Adaptation of Zirconia Crowns with Two Subgingival Margin Designs: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(8):767-775.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A light-curing unit (LCU) is an important factor in restorative dental treatment, and its light intensity output (LIO) must be monitored regularly by using a radiometer. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate and measure the LIO values produced by assessed LCUs using two brands of radiometers, relative to the number of years in dental clinical services, tip condition, and the presence of periodic maintenance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Light-curing units were collected from selected dental clinics in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Then, LCU data included clinical dental age (<1 year, between 1 and 3, and >3 years). The nozzle condition was visually checked for contamination, damaged nozzles, and the presence of debris. To record LIO, two brands of digital radiometers, namely, Woodpecker and Ivoclar, were used. In addition, LIO values were categorized into three subgroups, <700, between 700 and 1000, and >1000 mW/cm², and labeled as adequate, sufficient, and both adequate and sufficient LIO, respectively. Each LCU was assessed three times at 1-minute intervals. Descriptive statistics of parameters were assessed and recorded using SPSS. One-way ANOVA, along with dependent and independent t-tests, was used to evaluate significant differences among and between groups, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: A total of 112 LCUs were surveyed. With regard to tip conditions for either Woodpecker or Ivoclar radiometers across all radiant power categories, no statistically significant differences in LIO values were found. The highest mean difference in LIO values between the two radiometers was recorded in the 700-1000 mW/cm² category. No statistically significant differences in LIO values were found across age-groups for either radiometer (all p-values > 0.05), except for the Ivoclar radiometer in the >1000 mW/cm² category, which showed a significant difference (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: All assessed LCUs provided adequate LIO, with only a slight effect observed due to age. However, their LIO tends to decrease over time, highlighting the need for routine inspection to maintain the required output levels.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Daily monitoring of the clinical performance of LCU and their LIO will result in proper composite resin restorations and prolonged clinical durability. How to cite this article: Alwadai GS, Abogazalah NN, Alamoudi NA, et al. The Performance of Light-curing Units Used in Different Clinics at Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(8):784-790.

AIM: The study aimed to evaluate marginal and internal adaptation of endocrowns fabricated from Nano-ceramic Hybrid and Lithium disilicate ceramic materials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 22 endocrowns were fabricated for restoring endodontically treated posterior teeth. The patients were divided into two equal groups according to the type of ceramic material used: Lithium disilicate IPS e.max CAD endocrown (control group) and Grandio nano-ceramic hybrid endocrown (intervention group). Before cementation, marginal and internal adaptation of both groups was measured by using the silicon replica technique and a digital microscope. Statistical analysis was performed by using an independent t-test, while comparison between different surfaces was performed by using One Way ANOVA test followed by Tukey's post hoc test for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS: Marginal and internal gap results showed that the Grandio nano-ceramic hybrid group was statistically significantly higher than the lithium disilicate IPS e.max CAD group with p-value, p = 0.0001, p = 0.0002, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Marginal adaptation of lithium disilicate IPS e.max CAD restorations is considered clinically acceptable, whereas that of Grandio nanoceramic hybrid exceeds the clinically acceptable limit. Both lithium disilicate IPS e.max CAD and Grandio nanoceramic hybrid restorations scored an acceptable internal adaptation value.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Upon consideration of restoring non-vital posterior teeth with endocrowns, lithium disilicate IPS e.max CAD is the material of choice, while Grandio nano ceramic hybrid is less recommended. How to cite this article: Salah El-Din M, Adel S, Naguib A, et al. Evaluation of Marginal and Internal Adaptation of Endocrowns Fabricated from Nano-ceramic Hybrid and Lithium Disilicate Ceramic Materials: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(8):795-805.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of ridge splitting through the split crest method incorporating 1% metformin (MF) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in comparison to the split crest technique (SCT) utilizing PRF alone.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 patients were recruited and randomly assigned to three distinct groups. Group I consisted of patients who underwent the SCT with implant placement alone. Group II included patients who received SCT with both implant placement and PRF, while group III comprised patients who experienced SCT with implant placement supplemented by a 1% MF gel combined with PRF. Clinical parameters, such as implant stability and crestal bone width, were measured for each implant immediately after insertion and again after a period of 6 months.

RESULTS: The combination of MF and the PRF group exhibited the lowest level of crestal bone loss (CBL) relative to the other two groups. There was a notable increase in implant stability in both the control group and the study group (PRF + MF). Although there was also an increase in the PRF group, this change was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that, within its limitations, the concurrent application of 1% MF and PRF in ridge splitting procedures may lead to a reduction in CBL and an enhancement in implant stability.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The introduction of a novel biomaterial has shown promise in enhancing the predictability of horizontal ridge augmentation procedures. Metformin 1%, a second-generation biguanide primarily utilized for blood glucose regulation, has been documented to promote osteoblast differentiation and proliferation, facilitate new bone formation, and increase type I collagen levels. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of MF 1% in horizontal ridge augmentation procedures, both as a standalone treatment and in conjunction with a well-established PRF material. The findings aim to expand the array of biomaterials available for alveolar ridge augmentation. How to cite this article: El-Destawy MT, AboAmo AAKA, Abdel-Wahab MM, et al. Evaluation of Horizontal Ridge Augmentation Using 1% Metformin Gel and PRF in Split Crest Technique: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(8):759-766.

Presenting unique visual stimuli to each eye induces a dynamic perceptual state where only one image is perceived at a time, and the other is suppressed from awareness. This phenomenon, known as interocular suppression, has allowed researchers to probe the dynamics of visual awareness and unconscious processing in the visual system. A key result is that different categories of visual stimuli may not be suppressed equally, but there is still a wide debate as to whether low- or high-level visual features modulate interocular suppression. Here we quantify and compare the strength of suppression for various motion stimuli in comparison to biological motion stimuli that are rich in high-level semantic information. We employ the tracking continuous flash suppression method, which recently demonstrated uniform suppression depth for a variety of static images that varied in semantic content. The accumulative findings of our three experiments outline that suppression depth is varied not by the strength of the suppressor alone but with different low-level visual motion features, in contrast to the uniform suppression depth previously shown for static images. Notably, disrupting high-level semantic information via the inversion or rotation of biological motion did not alter suppression depth. Ultimately, our data support the dependency of suppression depth on local motion information, further supporting the low-level local-precedence hypothesis of interocular suppression.

AIM: This article aims to evaluate and compare the marginal adaptation of inlay/onlay restorations produced through digital and conventional techniques.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic electronic literature search was performed using two primary databases, Medline (via PubMed) and ScienceDirect, to identify relevant publications on the research subject. The selection of articles followed strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure relevance and quality. A manual search was also carried out to ensure the comprehensiveness of the review. In order to obtain recent results, only articles published after 2014 were included in the review.

RESULTS: Out of the initial 211 articles identified, 204 were excluded due to duplication, language restrictions, or failure to meet the inclusion criteria. A total of seven studies were included in the final analysis, comprising six in vitro studies and one in vivo study. Among them, five studies employed the replica technique to measure the marginal gap, one used an optical stereomicroscope, and one utilized computed tomography. The QUIN tool was used to assess the risk of bias.

CONCLUSION: Digital techniques demonstrate significant potential for improved marginal adaptation, yet further research is essential to conclusively validate their superiority over conventional approaches.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This review highlights the importance of digital techniques in enhancing dental restorations, particularly the marginal adaptation of the indirect restorations. This evaluation is important, as marginal fit significantly impacts the longevity and clinical success of these restorations. How to cite this article: Jebali C, Riahi Z, Kalghoum I, et al. Dental Marginal Adaptation of Inlay/Onlay Restorations Fabricated with Digital and Conventional Techniques: A Systematic Review. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(8):806-813.