Dental News - IDS to showcase wealth of possibilities offered by digital endodontics

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IDS to showcase wealth of possibilities offered by digital endodontics

With the possibilities of the newest tools in the field exhibited at IDS 2019, endodontists can expect to digitally optimise their treatment in the near future. (Photograph: Koelnmesse)
Dental Tribune International

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 23. July 2018

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COLOGNE, Germany: The success of endodontic therapy depends on many factors, including the detection of all root canals, their hermetic seal and the nature of subsequent coronal care. How the latest innovations for the individual treatment steps can be optimally put to use will be shown at the 2019 International Dental Show (IDS), which is to be held from 12 to 16 March in Cologne.

Today, the success rates of endodontic treatments over a period of ten years are typically more than 90 per cent. In order to optimise treatment outcomes even further, dental practitioners seek to use and benefit from the best technologies on the market. Digitally supported endodontics has given rise to new possibilities, having already replaced analogue radiographs with digital 2-D radiographs. For several years, practitioners have had access to endodontic motors that can be controlled from a tablet, offering advantages in documentation and patient communication, for example. Now, development is moving in the direction of virtually pre-planned root canal therapy and guided endodontics (similar to implantation guided by a surgical template).

Despite the digitalisation process, many proven products and processes will, of course, retain their importance. Therefore, they are being progressively developed and improved. Partially heat-treated files, for example, are even more flexible, which is an advantage in anatomically complex cases. Furthermore, the use of lasers could potentially make the disinfection of prepared root canals even safer in the future, such as PIPS (photon-induced photoacoustic streaming) or SWEEPS (shock wave enhanced emission photoacoustic streaming). During obturation, motor-driven extruders can simplify the dental procedure by combining all the necessary functionalities: the introduction of gutta-percha, the filling of the canals and, if necessary, the creation of space for a root post.

With the support of software and 3-D radiographs, planning for procedures is continuously becoming easier. This boosts the safety of treatment and improves long-term outcomes. On the monitor, the dentist can now visualise the root canals from top to bottom. The software proposes files of the right sizes, matching gutta-percha points and much more. This technology also offers the possibility to virtually simulate the treatment in advance. There is also the possibility of a division of labour, with the planning done by the specialist and the treatment implemented by the principal dentist. The next area of advancement is guided endodontics, which will, for example, provide a template for introducing the glide path file into the canal at the optimal angle.

Commenting on the developments in the field, Mark Stephen Pace, Chairman of the Board of the Association of the German Dental Industry, said: “The already available tools support the endo community in many areas during the usual treatment protocol. The therapy makes this even safer, and I expect that in the long term the already high success rate can be improved. Equally important for this are the current advances in conventional instruments and diagnostic aids. The International Dental Show 2019 in Cologne will showcase the plethora of possibilities.”

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