Thesis (M.S.D.)--Indiana University School of Dentistry, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 11, 2009) Advisors: Mychel Vail, Chair of the Research Committee, Susan Zunt, Ted Parks, Kenneth Sponik, Joseph Legan. Curriculum vitae. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-119).

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Introduction: During root canal treatment (RCT), an opening is made through the crown of the tooth to access and to disinfect the root canal system (RCS). Traditional endodontic access (TEA) may sacrifice tooth structure and weaken the tooth. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) provides information about the exact location of the root canals. This information can be used for the design of a canal-directed endodontic access (CDEA). It may also be used for the 3D printing of an acrylic endodontic stent that could help to create a conservative CDEA. Objective: 1) Evaluate the ability of the Dolphin 3D imaging software to assist in creating a CDEA; 2) Compare tooth structure loss in a CDEA to that in a TEA by measuring the volume of remaining tooth structure, surface area of the access opening at the occlusal, and remaining dentin thickness at the CEJ. Materials and Methods: Thirty extracted human mandibular premolars were used. Teeth with large, wide canals were excluded. CBCT images will be taken for all teeth using Kodak 9000. Fifteen teeth were randomly assigned to the TEA group and 15 teeth were assigned to the CDEA group. The CDEA path was mapped using Dolphin 3D imaging software. Acrylic access stents were designed using Rhino 3D software and printed using a 3D printer. The teeth were accessed through the corresponding stents. The 15 teeth that are part of the traditional access group were accessed without a stent. A CBCT scan was taken post-access for all 30 teeth. Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests were performed to compare the following outcomes for the two groups: the volume of remaining tooth structure, the surface area of the access opening at the occlusal, and remaining dentin thickness at the CEJ. Results: The remaining dentin thickness (percent loss) was not significantly larger for TEA than for CDEA. The surface area (post-treatment) was significantly larger for TEA than for CDEA, and volume (percent loss) was significantly larger for TEA than for CDEA. Conclusion: The use of the CBCT and Dolphin 3D imaging provided an accurate and more conservative CDEA with the guide of an acrylic stent.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Accurate determination of working length during endodontic therapy is a crucial step in achieving a predictable outcome. This is determined by the use of electronic apex locators, tactile perception, and knowledge of average tooth lengths and/or dental radiography whether digital or conventional is utilized. It is the aim of this study to determine if there is a difference between Schick digital radiography and Kodak Insight conventional film in accurately determining working lengths when modifying exposure time and source-film/sensor distance. Twelve teeth with size 15 K-flex files at varying known lengths from the anatomical apex were mounted in a resin-plaster mix to simulate bone density. Each tooth was radiographed while varying the source-film/sensor distance and exposure 122 time. Four dental professionals examined the images and films independently. Ten images and 10 films were selected at random and re-examined to determine each examiner?s repeatability. The error in working length was calculated as the observed value minus the known working length for each tooth type. A mixed-effects, full-factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used to model the error in working length. Included in the ANOVA model were fixed effects for type of image, distance, exposure time, and all two-way and three-way interactions. The repeatability of each examiner for each film type was assessed by estimating the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The repeatability of each examiner on digital film was good with ICCs ranging from 0.67 to 1.0. Repeatability on the conventional film was poor with ICCs varying from -0.29 to 0.55.We found there was an overall difference between the conventional and digital films (p < 0.001). After adjusting for the effects of distance and exposure time, the error in the working length from the digital image was 0.1 mm shorter (95% CI: 0.06, 0.14) than the error in the working length from the film image. There was no difference among distances (p = 0.999) nor exposure time (p = 0.158) for film or images. Based on the results of our study we conclude that although there is a statistically significant difference, there is no clinically significant difference between digital radiography and conventional film when exposure time and source-film/sensor distance are adjusted.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Accurate determination of working length during endodontic therapy is critical in achieving a predictable and successful outcome. Working length is determined by the use of electronic apex locators, tactile perception, knowledge of average tooth lengths and dental radiography. Due to the increasing use of digital radiography in clinical practice, a comparison with conventional film in working length determination is justified. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference between Schick digital radiography and Kodak Ultra-speed film in the accurate determination of working lengths when vertical angulation of the object is variable. Twelve teeth with #15 K-flex files at varying known lengths from the anatomical apex were mounted in a resin-plaster mix to simulate bone density. A mounting jig for the standardization of projection geometries allowed for exact changes in vertical angulation as it related to the object (tooth) and the film/sensor. Each tooth was imaged using Schick CDR and Kodak Ultra-speed film at varying angles with a consistent source-film distance and exposure time. Four dental professionals examined the images and films independently and measured the distance from the tip of the file to radiographic apex and recorded their results. The error in working length was calculated as the observed value minus the known working length for each tooth type. A mixed-effects, full-factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used to model the error in working length. Included in the ANOVA model were fixed effects for type of image, vertical angulation, and the interaction of angle and film type. Tooth type and examiner were included in the model as random effects assuming a compound symmetry covariance structure. The repeatability of each examiner, for each film type, was assessed by estimating the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The ICC was determined when 12 randomly selected images and radiographs were reevaluated 10 days after initial measurements. The repeatability of each examiner for Schick CDR was good with ICCs ranging from 0.67 to 1.0. Repeatability for the conventional film was poor with ICCs varying from -0.29 to 0.55. We found the error in the working length was not significantly different between film types (p = 0.402). After adjusting for angle, we found that error in the working length from the digital image was only 0.02 mm greater (95-percent CI: -0.03, 0.06) than the conventional film. Furthermore, there was not a significant difference among the angles (p = 0.246) nor in the interaction of image type with angle (p = 0.149). Based on the results of our study, we conclude that there is not a statistically significant difference in determining working length between Schick CDR and Kodak Ektaspeed film when vertical angulation is modified.