• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.155-160
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Achieving adequate anesthesia with inferior alveolar nerve blocks (IANB) is of great importance during dental procedures. The aim of the present study was to assess the success rate of two anesthetic agents (bupivacaine and lidocaine) for IANB when treating teeth with irreversible pulpitis. Materials and Methods: Sixty volunteer male and female patients who required root canal treatment of a mandibular molar due to caries participated in the present study. The inclusion criteria included prolonged pain to thermal stimulus but no spontaneous pain. The patients were randomly allocated to receive either 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine or 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine as an IANB injection. The sensitivity of the teeth to a cold test as well as the amount of pain during access cavity preparation and root canal instrumentation were recorded. Results were statistically analyzed with the Chi-Square and Fischer's exact tests. Results: At the final step, fifty-nine patients were included in the study. The success rate for bupivacaine and lidocaine groups were 20.0% and 24.1%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups at any stage of the treatment procedure. Conclusions: There was no difference in success rates of anesthesia when bupivacaine and lidocaine were used for IANB injections to treat mandibular molar teeth with irreversible pulpitis. Neither agent was able to completely anesthetize the teeth effectively. Therefore, practitioners should be prepared to administer supplemental anesthesia to overcome pain during root canal treatment.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.141-145
• /
• 2013

Objectives: Assessment of dental pain severity is very challenging in dentistry. Previous studies have suggested that elevated salivary alpha amylase may contribute to increased physical stresses. There is a close association between salivary alpha amylase and plasma norepinephrine under stressful physical conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pain severity and salivary alpha amylase levels in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients (20 females and 16 males) with severe tooth pain due to symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were selected. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to assess the pain severity in each patient. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and the level of alpha amylase activity was assessed by the spectrophotometric method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13. Results: The level of alpha amylase was significantly increased in the saliva in association with pain severity assessed by VAS. The salivary alpha amylase was also elevated with increased age and in males. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between the VAS pain scale and salivary alpha amylase level, which indicates this biomarker may be a good index for the objective assessment of pain intensity.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.441-449
• /
• 2021

Background: The efficacy of local anesthesia decreases in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Therefore, it was proposed that the use of premedication with an anti-inflammatory drug might increase the success rate of pulpal anesthesia in mandibular posterior teeth with vital inflamed pulp. Methods: One hundred thirty-four patients who were actively experiencing pain willingly participated in this study. The Heft Parker (HP) visual analog scale (VAS) was used to record the initial pain intensity. Patients were randomly allocated to receive a placebo, 10 mg of ketorolac, and 650 mg of paracetamol. The standard inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) was administered to all patients using 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline after one hour of medication. After 15 min, the patient was instructed to rate the discomfort during each step of the treatment procedure, such as access to remaining dentin, access to the pulp chamber, and during canal instrumentation on the HP VAS. IANB was considered successful if the patient reported no or mild pain during access preparation and instrumentation. Moderate or severe pain was classified as a failure of IANB and another method of anesthesia was used before continuing the treatment. Results: The rate of successful anesthesia in the placebo, paracetamol, and ketorolac groups was 29%, 33%, and 43%, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Conclusion: Preoperative administration of paracetamol or ketorolac did not significantly affect the success rate of IANB in patients with irreversible pulpitis. No significant difference was observed between the paracetamol and ketorolac groups.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.39-47
• /
• 2022

Background: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial that aimed to evaluate the anesthetic efficacy of 2% lidocaine combined with different concentrations of epinephrine (plain, 1:200,000 and 1:80,000) during endodontic treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Methods: The trial included 144 adult patients who were randomly allocated to three treatment groups. All patients received buccal-plus-palatal infiltration. After 10 min, pulp sensibility testing was performed using an electric pulp test (EPT). If a tooth responded positively, anesthesia was considered to have failed. In the case of a negative EPT response, endodontic access was initiated under rubber dam isolation. The success of anesthesia was defined as having a pain score less than 55 on the Heft Parker visual analog scale (HP VAS), which was categorized as 'no pain' or 'faint/weak/mild' pain on the HP VAS. Baseline pre-injection and post-injection maximum heart rates were recorded. The Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze the anesthetic success rates at 5% significance. Results: Plain 2% lidocaine and 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine and 1:80,000 epinephrine had anesthetic success rates of 18.75%, 72.9%, and 82.3%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the groups (P < 0.001, 𝛘² = 47.5, df = 2). The maximum heart rate increase was seen with 2% lidocaine solution with epinephrine. Conclusion: Adding epinephrine to 2% lidocaine significantly improves its anesthetic success rates during the root canal treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.107-114
• /
• 2014

Purpose: This study want to draw conclusion based on data taken from national health insurance and determined the distribution and direction of patients treated at private clinics. Methods: The author's research spanned and compared the nationally insured patients by sexes, diagnoses, age groups and cases per year (2005, 2009, and 2013). Subjects were 3,536 patients of a private clinic in Seoul that were covered under national insurance. Results: There was no disparity across sexes nor cases, but both were on the decline. The most common dental conditions were pulpitis and dental caries at 38.4% and 16.4%, respectively. Both have decreased. Despite a drop in overall patients, the percentage of patients under 10 years old jumped substantially. Of overall age groups, teens were most prevalent at 33.5%, second and third being those in their forties and fifties (14.2% and 12.0%, respectively). Conclusions: The major illnesses that plague patients are pulpitis, dental caries, eruption disorder, gingivitis and periodontitis: the wane of pulpitis cases (a considerable percentage) and the actual numbers of patients has contributed to the general decrease in cases.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.41-46
• /
• 2018

Background: The purpose of this prospective randomized single-blind clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of tilting the head on the anesthetic efficacy of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Methods: Ninety-two patients were divided into two groups: the first group received IANB and the head was tilted in the direction of the block for 15 min, whereas the second group received IANB and the head was tilted to the opposite side. Access cavity preparation was initiated after 15 min. Success was defined as no pain or faint/weak/mild pain during endodontic access preparation and instrumentation. The anesthetic success rates were analyzed by Pearson chi-square test at 5% significance levels. Results: The same side position and opposite side position yielded 41% and 30% anesthetic success rates, respectively; there was no significant difference between the two sides. Conclusions: Relative head position has no effect on the anesthetic success rate of IANB.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.131-133
• /
• 2017

Streptococcus intermedius is a Gram-positive, obligately anaerobic, nonsporeforming, and nonmotile cocci. S. intermedius is a member of oral flora and is endodontic infection, respiratory infections, infective endocarditis, brain abscess, and liver abscess. Streptococcus intermedius ChDC B718 (= KCOM 1545) was isolated from a human pulpitis lesion. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of S. intermedius ChDC B718.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.316-327
• /
• 1998

This study was designed to examine the tissue levels of interleukin-$1{\alpha}$(IL-$1{\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$(IL-$1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$(TNF-${\alpha}$) in inflamed human dental pulps and periapical lesions, and to determine the relationship between each cytokine and pulpal and periapical pathosis. The pulps used in this experiment, were obtained in routine endodontic treatment and the periapical lesions in periapical surgery after clinical diagnoses were performed. These specimens were divided into four groups as normal pulp group(control group, n=9), acute pulpitis group(n=g), chronic pulpitis group(n= 10) and periapical lesion group(n= 18) and stored in liquid N2. For extract preparation, tissues were finely minced with a scalpel, and the fragments were incubated in $0.5m\ell$ homogenizing buffer (0.1 mol/L potassium chloride, 0.02 mol/L TRIS; pH=7.6) for two hours and grinded with glass homogenizer. Debris was removed by centrifugation and supernatants were immediately tested with enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, R&D Co., Minneapolis, USA). Following results were obtained; 1. The concentrations of IL-$1{\alpha}$ in all experimental groups were significantly higher than in control group(p<0.05). And the concentrations of IL-$1{\alpha}$ in periapical lesion group were somewhat higher than in two pulpitis groups, but the differences among those groups were not stastically significant (p>0.05). 2. The concentrations of IL-$1{\beta}$ in all experimental groups were significantly higher than in control group (p<0.05), and all the experimental groups expressed similar concentrations. 3. The concentrations of TNF-${\alpha}$ in all experimental groups were higher than in control group but only the differences between chronic pulpitis group and control group were statistically significant(p<0.05). And the concentrations of TNF-${\alpha}$ in acute and chronic pulpit is groups were higher than in periapical lesion group but only the differences between chronic pulpitis group and periapical lesion group were statistically significant (p<0.05). 4. There was significant correlation only between IL-$1{\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ in periapical lesion group (p<0.05).

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.283-309
• /
• 2021

Achieving profound anesthesia in mandibular molars with irreversible pulpitis is a tedious task. This review aimed at evaluating the success of buccal/lingual infiltrations administered with a primary inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) injection or as a supplemental injection after the failure of the primary injection in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with irreversible pulpitis in human mandibular molars. The review question was "What will be the success of primary and supplemental infiltration injection in the endodontic treatment of patients with irreversible pulpitis in human mandibular molars?" We searched electronic databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, and Ebsco host and we did a comprehensive manual search. The review protocol was framed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. We included clinical studies that evaluated and compared the anesthetic outcomes of primary IANB with primary and/or supplementary infiltration injections. Standard evaluation of the included studies was performed and suitable data and inferences were assessed. Twenty-six studies were included, of which 13 were selected for the meta-analysis. In the forest plot representation of the studies evaluating infiltrations, the combined risk ratio (RR) was 1.88 (95% CI: 1.49, 2.37), in favor of the secondary infiltrations with a statistical heterogeneity of 77%. The forest plot analysis for studies comparing primary IANB + infiltration versus primary IANB alone showed a low heterogeneity (0%). The included studies had similar RRs and the combined RR was 1.84 (95% CI: 1.44, 2.34). These findings suggest that supplemental infiltrations given along with a primary IANB provide a better success rate. L'Abbe plots were generated to measure the statistical heterogeneity among the studies. Trial sequential analysis suggested that the number of patients included in the analysis was adequate. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analyses, we concluded that the infiltration technique, either as a primary injection or as a supplementary injection, given after the failure of primary IANB, increases the overall anesthetic efficacy.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.25 no.7 s.218
• /
• pp.665-672
• /
• 1987

In order to study the effects of advanced periodontitis on pulps, 36 human teeth were examined histologically. In addition, a medical and dental history was elicited. The pulps were intact, uninflammed in only 9 teeth (25%) of 36 periodontally involved teeth. 27 teeth (75%) had pulps exhibiting inflammatory lesions of varing intensities. Of 27 teeth with pathological pulp tissue alterations, focal reversible pulpitis was found in 4 teeth, chronic pulpitis in 13 teeth, pulp abscess in 6 teeth, and pulp necrosis in 4 teeth. These observations appeared to indicate that teeth with dvanced periodontitis produce a high incidence of degenertion and inflammation of the pulp. Responses to electric pulp test were not found to be reliable indicators of the state of the pulp in periodontally involved teeth.