Expert consensus on irrigation and intracanal medication in root canal therapy

Chemical cleaning and disinfection are crucial steps for eliminating infection in root canal treatment. However, irrigant selection or irrigation procedures are far from clear. The vapor lock effect in the apical region has yet to be solved, impeding irrigation efficacy and resulting in residual infections and compromised treatment outcomes.

Expert consensus on difficulty assessment of endodontic therapy

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease. Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha. However, it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT). Recent research, encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques, contributes to our understanding of the root canal system’s anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT. Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients, infection severity, root canal anatomy, and treatment techniques. Therefore, improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions. The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions, tooth conditions, root canal configuration, and root canal needing retreatment, and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes. The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT. These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

Experts consensus on the procedure of dental operative microscope in endodontics and operative dentistry

The dental operative microscope has been widely employed in the field of dentistry,particularly in endodontics and operative dentistry,resulting in significant advancements in the effectiveness of root canal therapy,endodontic surgery,and dental restoration.However,the improper use of this microscope continues to be common in clinical settings,primarily due to operators’insufficient understanding and proficiency in both the features and established operating procedures of this equipment.In October 2019,Professor Jingping Liang,Vice Chairman of the Society of Cariology and Endodontology,Chinese Stomatological Association,organized a consensus meeting with Chinese experts in endodontics and operative dentistry.The objective of this meeting was to establish a standard operation procedure for the dental operative microscope.Subsequently,a consensus was reached and officially issued.Over the span of about four years,the content of this consensus has been further developed and improved through practical experience.

Expert consensus on early childhood caries management

Early childhood caries(ECC)is a significant chronic disease of childhood and a rising public health burden worldwide.ECC may cause a higher risk of new caries lesions in both primary and permanent dentition,affecting lifelong oral health.The occurrence of ECC has been closely related to the core microbiome change in the oral cavity,which may be influenced by diet habits,oral health management,fluoride use,and dental manipulations.So,it is essential to improve parental oral health and awareness of health care,to establish a dental home at the early stage of childhood,and make an individualized caries management plan.Dental interventions according to the minimally invasive concept should be carried out to treat dental caries.This expert consensus mainly discusses the etiology of ECC,caries-risk assessment of children,prevention and treatment plan of ECC,aiming to achieve lifelong oral health.

High-throughput sequencing identifies salivary microbiota in Chinese caries-free preschool children with primary dentition

Objectives:The study aimed at identifying salivary microbiota in caries-free Chinese preschool children using highthroughput sequencing.Methods:Saliva samples were obtained from 35 caries-free preschool children(18 boys and 17 girls)with primary dentition,and 16 S ribosomal DNA(r DNA)V3–V4 hypervariable regions of the microorganisms were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq.Results:At 97%similarity level,all of these reads were clustered into 334 operational taxonomic units(OTUs).Among these,five phyla(Firmicutes,Proteobacteria,Actinobacteria,Bacteroidetes,and Candidate division TM7)and13 genera(Streptococcus,Rothia,Granulicatella,Prevotella,Enterobacter,Veillonella,Neisseria,Staphylococcus,Janthinobacterium,Pseudomonas,Brevundimonas,Devosia,and Gemella)were the most dominant,constituting 99.4%and 89.9%of the salivary microbiota,respectively.The core salivary microbiome comprised nine genera(Actinomyces,Capnocytophaga,Gemella,Granulicatella,Lachnoanaerobaculum,Neisseria,Porphyromonas,Rothia,and Streptococcus).Analysis of microbial diversity and community structure revealed a similar pattern between male and female subjects.The difference in microbial community composition between them was mainly attributed to Neisseria(P=0.023).Furthermore,functional prediction revealed that the most abundant genes were related to amino acid transport and metabolism.Conclusions:Our results revealed the diversity and composition of salivary microbiota in caries-free preschool children,with little difference between male and female subjects.Identity of the core microbiome,coupled with prediction of gene function,deepens our understanding of oral microbiota in cariesfree populations and provides basic information for associating salivary microecology and oral health.