Purpose: This study aimed at examining the thickness of lateral cortical bone in the mandibular posterior body and the location of the inferior alveolar nerve canal as well as investigating the clinically viable bone grafting site(s) and proper thickness of the bone grafts. Subjects and Methods: The study enrolled a total of 49 patients who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital to have their lower third molar extracted and received cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) examinations. Their CBCT data were used for the study. The thickness of lateral cortical bone and the location of inferior alveolar nerve canal were each measured from the buccal midpoint of the patients' lower first molar to the mandibular ramus area in the occlusal plane of the molar area. Results: Except in the external oblique ridge and alveolar ridge, all measured areas exhibited the greatest cortical bone thickness near the lower second molar area and the smallest cortical bone thickness in the retromolar area. The inferior alveolar nerve canal was found to be located in the innermost site near the lower second molar area compared to other areas. In addition, the greatest thickness of the trabecular bone was found between the inferior alveolar nerve canal and the lateral cortical bone. Conclusions: In actual clinical settings involving bone harvesting in the posterior mandibular body, clinicians are advised to avoid locating the osteotomy line in the retromolar area to help protect the inferior alveolar nerve canal from damage. Harvesting the bone near the lower second molar area is judged to be the proper way of securing cortical bone with the greatest thickness.

Despite the latest advancement made in its techniques and devices/apparatuses and the resulting rising expectation in the field of dental surgery, apicoectomy performed in the molar teeth remains a technical challenge and lacks evidence substantiated by long-term follow-up studies. This study sought to investigate the treatment outcomes and post-operative success rate in the root-end resected molar teeth accompanied by a high level of surgical risks due to their close proximity to the mandibular canal and maxillary sinus. A total of 68 patients who received treatment at Livingwell Dental Hospital between 2004 and 2010 and underwent apical surgery in the maxillary or mandibular molar area were enrolled in this study. A total of 160 roots collected from 75 molar teeth were subjected to surgical endodontic treatment and subsequently evaluated clinically as well as radiographically. Based on the results of the study, the clinical success rate was found to be 78.8% in cases involving radiological healing. Likewise, 90.7% of the roots recorded a robust clinical survival rate, but with incomplete healing as shown by radiography. The results indicate that the apical procedure involving molar teeth is a prognosis-friendly method that promises positive outcomes and higher success rate based on long-term follow-up observations.

Aim : This study was conducted to assess the oral health status of deaf and mute children attending special school. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 137 deaf and mute children with ages ranging from 7 to 18 years. A total of 76 males (55.47%) with mean age of $14.2{\pm}4.5$ and 61 females (44.53%) with mean age of $13.8{\pm}4.2$ years and studying in a school for deaf and mute children in Warora were considered. Data were collected using a standard method recommended by WHO for the oral health survey in 1977. Oral health status was assessed using OHIS, Loe and Sinless, and CPI Index along with DMFT and DMFS Index. Gingival position was considered for measuring attachment loss. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software package (version 17.0). Results : The mean DMFT was found to be $2.53{\pm}1.72$, and mean DMFS, $3.37{\pm}3.16$. The prevalence of dental caries was pegged at 35.32%, with mean OHIS score at $1.49{\pm}0.76$. Overall gingival index among deaf and mute children was $0.81{\pm}1.4$, whereas that for the upper arch and lower arch was $0.92{\pm}0.84$ and $1.19{\pm}0.95$, respectively. The mean score for the CPI Index among deaf and mute children was found to be $0.42{\pm}0.32$. Gingival clinical attachment loss was found to be $0.26{\pm}0.15mm$. Conclusion : These findings suggest that children with hearing disabilities can also have good oral hygiene comparable to normal individuals of the same age group. These results may be attributed to the fact that the study sample was taken from a single school of a private organization with a well-equipped dental setup.

We searched at the "PubMed.gov" and "jendodon.com" sites to conduct a literature review on dental instruments that are reused in clinical settings and on infection control involving pre-disinfection or sterilization cleaning/rinsing. The keyword "dental clean" was used for the Web search. We found the present official definition of instrument cleaning performed prior to disinfection or sterilization rather limiting ("removal of foreign matter (soil, organism, etc.) from the instruments"). Thus, we proposed to expand the definition to include the removal of oils applied to protect the metallic instruments and from corrosion, stains, and rust resulting from the frequent reuse of the instruments. Clinicians are found to clean their dental instruments (a) immediately after treating their patients or (b) following their treatment but not immediately afterward. In the latter case, we recommend presoaking to be added. Ultrasonic sterilization of 5~15 minutes is found to be more effective in terms of eliminating residual matter from the instruments compared to other methods. To check on the cleaning results, we recommend visual inspection, which can be quick and practical in clinical settings. The latest products being developed and marketed on the market address the related problems. Nonetheless, research must be continued on the effects of presoak, cleaning/rinsing, disinfection, and high-temperature or heating-based sterilization on the dental instruments and on dental clinicians' practices in cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization. We advise dental clinicians to select the proper cleaning methods and detergents for their instruments to help eliminate or prevent corrosion, staining, and rusting, to reduce the maintenance costs, and to ensure user-friendly instruments/apparatuses.

In our daily practice, we think about the diagnosis of our patient and get into a situation wherein we have to make a clinical decision. Diagnosis and treatment come from the knowledge and experiences that each dentist should have, but sometimes, we can have doubts on our decisions. "On what evidence did I make such decision? Was that really right?" Drawing our attention these days as a possible answer to this question, evidence-based dentistry seeks to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to medical decision making. To make a good decision, the strength of evidence is assessed. Specifically, randomized controlled trial, systematic review, and meta-analysis are considered the highest level of evidence; cohort study, case control study, case series, animal study, bench test, and biological plausibility follow. With the approach of evidence-based dentistry, we can make objective, scientifically sound clinical decisions. It is also patient-oriented, incorporating clinical experiences and stressing good judgments; thorough and comprehensive, it uses transparent methodology. That is the reason evidence-based dentistry can be better than other assessment methods when we make a clinical decision in modern dentistry.

Dental clinicians often encounter cases wherein the patient's lost molar area was neglected and left untreated for an extended period of time, thereby causing the extrusion of opposite molars and occlusal disharmony as well as occlusion in the anterior teeth and consequently resulting in anterior displacement in the area. Clinicians normally carry out prosthetic treatment via occlusal plane lifting when such becomes absolutely necessary due to the lack of sufficient space needed for prosthetic therapy aimed at proper anterior and lateral induction. In this case report, we examined occlusal disharmony and VDO loss in a patient who had lost his molars and had not received prosthetic treatment for an extended period of time. We treated the maxillary area with dental implant prosthetics and Kennedy Class I RPD and the mandibular area with residual natural tooth-based implant placement and dental implant prosthetics. The patient reported treatment outcomes that were deemed satisfactory both functionally and aesthetically.

Implant placement is frequently complicated and challenging because of the poor quality and inadequate height of bone. Clinicians should consider various surgical procedures to overcome the problems. We report a case with various surgical procedures used such as inferior alveolar nerve repositioning, sinus bone graft, and autogenous block bone graft using the coronoid process and ramus to overcome severe vertical and horizontal alveolar bone atrophy.