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Advancements in Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) have promoted the development of novel dental materials for several types of definitive restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface characteristics of resin-based CAD/CAM restorative materials, fabricated using both subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques. The materials tested included Filtek Z550 (FZ), Vita Enamic (VE), Shofu HC (SH), and VarseoSmile TriniQ (TQ). For each material, 24 specimens were prepared; half were manually polished following the manufacturer’s recommendations, while the other half underwent standardized metallographic polishing. The surface roughness, wettability, and molecular composition were assessed. A statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 29.0 at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). Statistically significant differences in surface properties were observed between direct and indirect restoratives following manual polishing, with SH performing favorably in terms of surface roughness. The polishing method significantly influenced the surface characteristics of each material, except for certain roughness parameters in SH. Both surface roughness and wettability were dependent on the material and the polishing technique, highlighting the need for improved material-specific polishing protocols.

The continuous need for simplified, minimally invasive restorative procedures with a high precision has led to the advancement of highly filled flowable resin-based materials. These materials present excellent initial outcomes in various clinical applications, including the injection molding technique. Given that several clinical reports present signs of wear and staining, this systematic review aims to investigate the mechanical and optical properties of highly filled flowable composite resins. A comprehensive literature research was conducted to identify relevant studies from the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. Data extraction and screening was performed by two independent evaluators. Both in vitro studies and clinical trials were included. A total of thirty-one studies were included in this review. A total of 27 in vitro studies investigated highly filled flowable composite resins independently, or in comparison with conventional composite resins, traditional flowable composites, bulk-fill flowable composites, glass ionomer cements, and compomers. Additionally, four randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) compared highly filled flowable composite resins with their conventional counterparts. Highly filled flowable composite resins exhibit adequate optical properties. Despite their significant improvements, their mechanical properties remain inferior to those of medium-viscosity composite resins. These materials demonstrate a favorable initial performance in the injection molding technique. Based on a limited number of RCTs, these materials demonstrate an adequate performance in class I and II restorations; however these findings should be interpreted with caution. The reported drawbacks in laboratory studies may contraindicate their clinical application in extensive cavities, load-bearing areas, and in cases of excessive tooth wear and parafunctional activity. A careful clinical case selection is strongly recommended.

Metabolomic research tends to increase in popularity over the years, leading to the identification of new biomarkers related to specific health disorders. Saliva is one of the most newly introduced and systematically developed biofluids in the human body that can serve as an informative substance in the metabolomic profiling armamentarium. This review aims to analyze the current knowledge regarding the human salivary metabolome, its alterations due to physiological, environmental and external factors, as well as the limitations and drawbacks presented in the most recent research conducted, focusing on pre—analytical and analytical workflows. Furthermore, the use of the saliva metabolomic profile as a promising biomarker for several oral pathologies, such as oral cancer and periodontitis will be investigated.

Background and Objectives: Endocrowns have emerged as a minimally invasive restorative option in dentistry, aiming to preserve as much of the original tooth structure as possible. This scoping review investigates the success rates, biomechanical performance, and material efficacy of endocrowns for restoring molars, in comparison to conventional post-and-core crowns. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies using PubMed and Scopus databases. The search covered publications up to March 2025. All study types focusing on molar restorations were included, except for case reports. Data extraction and screening were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 37 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Eleven systematic reviews examined comparisons between endocrowns and post-and-core crowns, as well as differences in material selection, survival and success rates, and outcomes between molars and premolars. The remaining 26 studies addressed the clinical performance and longevity of endocrowns, with an emphasis on preparation design, adhesive protocols, and mechanical behavior related to material selection. Conclusions: Endocrown restorations present a conservative and predictable alternative to post-and-core crowns for molars with extensive coronal damage. However, due to variability in reported outcomes, high-quality randomized clinical trials are crucial for confirming their clinical effectiveness. The development of novel, standardized treatment guidelines would provide clinicians with adequate information to effectively restore endodontically treated teeth (ETT).

Background/Objectives: This article presents a novel approach that combines the Palatal Silicone Key and Injection Molding techniques as a viable alternative for complex anterior cases with high esthetic demands, where layering multiple shades is essential to achieve a natural appearance, rather than using a single monochromatic composite. Methods: The Palatal Silicone Key technique utilizes a silicone index to transfer palatal and incisal anatomy from a diagnostic wax-up, allowing freehand layering of proximal and buccal surfaces with multiple composite shades. The Injection Molding technique provides a simpler and more predictable workflow by using a transparent silicone index to replicate the wax-up. However, the original injection technique relies on a single-shade composite, limiting the esthetic outcomes. In the presented case canines and first premolars were reshaped to replace congenitally missing lateral incisors. Palatal surfaces were built with medium-viscosity enamel shade composite using the silicone key, and dentin anatomy was sculpted freehand with dentin shade composite. Buccal anatomy was restored by injecting enamel shade flowable composite into the transparent index. Results: This combined protocol facilitated the precise transfer of the wax-up, minimizing adjustments, while the use of multiple composite shades reproduced the natural translucency of adjacent teeth, resulting in highly esthetic restorations. Conclusions: Handling traditional composites in complex anterior cases can be time-consuming and technique-sensitive. The presented combination of techniques, while requiring a high level of skill and precision, integrates the strengths of both approaches, enabling a minimally invasive, additive workflow with reduced clinical time and more predictable esthetic outcomes.

This systematic review examines studies focusing on tooth bleaching and its effects on healthy enamel or incipient caries and bacterial adhesion. The aim is to explore the impact of different bleaching agents on incipient caries lesions and healthy enamel. Clinical studies, in vitro studies, and observational studies that compared at least two groups were included. A search strategy was used to select studies from the MEDLINE via Pubmed and Scopus databases. Two evaluators performed data extraction, screening, and quality assessment independently. Only studies written in English were included. From 968 initial records, 28 studies were selected for a full-text evaluation. Of these, 7 studies were classified as cluster 1 (bacterial adherence on teeth), 12 studies as cluster 2 (no bacteria involved), 4 studies as cluster 3 (no teeth deployment), and 5 clinical studies were cluster 4. Of the selected studies, 6 (21.4%) supported increased bacterial attachment capacity and cariogenic dynamics, 4 (14.3%) decreased adhesion and cariogenic activity, 7 (25%) showed no difference, and 11 (39.3%) followed a different methodological approach and could not be categorized. The risk of bias appeared to be high, mainly because of the different methodologies in the studies, so we cannot reach a confident conclusion. Nevertheless, as far as carbamide peroxide bleaching is concerned, there does not seem to be a clinically significant alteration, neither in microorganism counts nor in enamel microstructure.

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease with multiple risk factors. Vitamin D levels (VDLs) and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms (VDRPs) have been investigated for this reason. The aim of this narrative review is to investigate the relation and the factors affecting vitamin D deficiency (VDD), VDRP, Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) in children (primary and mixed dentition) and dental caries risk in adults (permanent dentition). Additionally, we present a model incorporating factors and interactions that address this relationship. Methods: Three databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library) were comprehensively searched until 17 January 2023 using the following keywords: “vitamin D”, “vitamin D receptor polymorphism”, “dental caries”, and “dental caries risk”, finding 341 articles. Two reviewers searched, screened, and extracted information from the selected articles. All pooled analyses were based on random-effects models. Eligibility criteria were articles using dmft/DMFT diagnostic criteria with calibrated examiners, probability sampling, and sample sizes. We excluded studies conducted on institutionalized patients. A total of 32 studies were finally used. Results: In most studies, TaqI, FokI, and BsmI polymorphisms affected the prevalence of dental caries. A strong correlation between ECC, S-ECC, and the prevalence of dental caries was reported in association with VDD and maternal intake of VD in primary dentition. Regarding the influence in mixed dentition, the results were found to be inconclusive. A slight positive influence was reported for permanent dentition. Conclusions: Factors affecting caries risk were maternal intake, socioeconomic factors, and level of VD. There is a certain need for more well-conducted studies that will investigate the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and the prevalence of dental caries in mixed and permanent dentition, specifically in adult patients.

Mass Spectrometry (MS) is one of the fastest-developing methods in analytical instrumentation. As a highly sensitive, universal detector, it can identify known and unknown compounds, which can indeed be found in a minimal concentration. This review aims to highlight the significant milestones in MS applications in dentistry during recent decades. MS can be applied in three different fields of dentistry: (1) in research of dental materials and chemical agents, (2) in laboratory analysis of biospecimens, and (3) as a real-time diagnostic tool in service of oral surgery and pathology. MS applications on materials and agents may focus on numerous aspects, such as their clinical behavior, possible toxicity, or antimicrobial properties. MS is also a valuable, non-invasive tool for biomarkers’ detection in saliva and has found great application in -omics technologies as it achieves efficient structure-finding in metabolites. As metabolites are located beyond the central dogma, this technique can provide a complete understanding of cellular functions. Thus, it is possible to determine the biological profile in normal and pathological conditions, detect various oral or systematic diseases and conditions, and predict their course. Lastly, some promising advances concerning the surgical approach to potentially oral malignant or malignant disorders exist. This breakthrough method provides a comprehensive approach to dental materials research and biomarker discovery in dental and craniofacial tissues. The current availability of various ‘OMIC’ approaches paves the way for individualized dentistry and provides suggestions for clinical applications in the point-of-care hubs.

Background and objective: The aim of this randomized split-mouth study-controlled clinical trial was to compare the 2-year clinical performance of resin composite restorations placed at non-caries cervical lesions (NCCL) with one-step self-etch, total-etch, and selective enamel etch and self-etch adhesive techniques. Materials and methods: Thirty-two patients received three resin composite restorations each at NCCLs (Tetric EvoCeram/Ivoclar/Vivadent), bonded with a total-etch adhesive agent (ExciTE F/Ivoclar/Vivadent) and a self-etch (AdheSE One F/Ivoclar/Vivadent) without and with selective enamel etching. All restorations were evaluated by two examiners at baseline, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-months with FDI clinical criteria (post-operation regarding retention, caries occurrence, marginal adaptation, and marginal staining). A logistic regression analysis, a Cohen’s kappa statistic, a multifactorial analysis, and X2 were performed with generalized estimating equations. Results: After 2 years, the retention rate was 86.8% for total etch, 92.26% for self-etch, and 93.63% for selective enamel etching and self-etch. No caries was detected on the restorations. Concerning marginal adaptation, the clinically perfect restorations were 26.9% for the total-etch technique, 16% for self-etch, and 25.9% for selective enamel etch and self-etch. The logistic regression model revealed that only time reduced the probability of perfect marginal adaptation. Conclusions: All three adhesive strategies provided restorations with no significant differences in the retention rate or marginal adaptation, whereas the total etch yielded better performance for marginal staining. All restorations were assessed as clinically acceptable after 2 years.

Background: Early detection of secondary caries near dental restorations is essential to prevent further complications. This systematic review seeks to evaluate the sensitivity of fluorescence and near-infrared (NIR) imaging techniques for detecting secondary caries and to provide insight into their clinical utility. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was used to select studies from seven databases, emphasizing diagnostic accuracy studies of secondary caries detection using fluorescence and NIR imaging techniques. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) instrument assessed bias risk and practicality. Two evaluators performed data extraction, screening, and quality assessment independently. Results: From 3110 initial recordings, nine studies were selected for full-text analysis. Wide variations in sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) values were reported across the studies. These studies exhibited variable SE and SP values, and the findings highlighted the importance of method selection based on clinical context. This systematic review underlines the potential for fluorescence and NIR imaging to detect secondary caries. However, results from different studies vary, indicating the need to consider additional variables such as restoration materials. Conclusions: Although these technologies exhibit potential for detecting caries, our research underscores the complex procedure of identifying secondary caries lesions. It is a continuous necessity for progress in dental diagnostics to promptly identify secondary caries lesions, particularly those in proximity to tooth-colored ones.