Developing a workable infection control policy for the dental laboratory

An enforced infection control policy in a laboratory will reduce occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other infectious diseases and protect the dental laboratory personnel from exposure to infective disease. An outline of a workable laboratory infection control policy based on "Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens" requirements is presented.     

Fabrication of a Fixed Retrievable Implant‐supported Prosthesis Based on Electroforming: A Technical Report

This article describes a method of fabricating a fixed retrievable implant‐retained prosthesis based on electroforming. This method combines the advantages of both the cement‐ and screw‐retained prostheses, including passive fit, ease of fabrication, and retrievability. The absence of visible occlusal screw‐canals adds to its increased esthetic appeal.     

Immediate Occlusal Loading in Edentulous Jaws,CT‐Guided Surgery and Fixed Provisional Prosthesis: A Maxillary Arch Clinical Report

Immediate occlusal loading (IOL) in edentulous jaws has been reported in numerous publications with implant cumulative survival rates consistent with conventional, unloaded healing protocols. Computed Tomography (CT)‐guided surgery has more recently been developed and accepted as an additional treatment modality for maxillary and mandibular implant placement, with or without IOL. Reports as to the accuracy of planned versus actual implant placement in CT‐guided surgeries have indicated that CT‐guided surgery is not 100% accurate; standard deviations have been reported with values between 1 and 2 mm in terms of actual versus planned placement. The purpose of this article is to review the clinical parameters associated with IOL, and CT‐guided surgery in edentulous jaws; and to present a clinical case illustrating the clinical and laboratory phases of treatment. The illustrated treatment was accomplished with an IOL protocol and includes fabrication and placement of a laboratory‐processed provisional maxillary prosthesis. This particular protocol had slightly increased costs relative to conventional implant placement; however, the clinicians and patient benefited from improved accuracy of the provisional prostheses and decreased chairtime for the clinical procedures. The benefits and limitations of this treatment protocol are also discussed.     

Use of a Reflectance Spectrophotometer in Evaluating Shade Change Resulting from Tooth-Whitening Products

Historically, shade change assessment associated with vital bleaching treatment regimens has been visually evaluated through the use of shade guide tabs. Innovations in the industry of dentistry have brought forth new technologies capable of measuring such changes via the capture and analysis of reflected wavelengths of light.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This article introduces the use of a 45/0 reflectance spectrophotometer and identifies the advantages and limitations associated with such a technology in the assessment of shade change owing to vital bleaching.