Dental development

High doses of vitamin D can affect dental development. In one case, caused by incorrectly fortified milk, there was dental hypoplasia and focal pulp calcification (40). 

Thesleff 1 and Sharpe P. 1997. Signaling networks regulating dental development. Mech Dev 67(2) 111-123. 

Vitamin Dj has m.p. 115-117°C and D, m.p. 82 83 "C. Both vitamins, which have almost identical actions, are used for the prevention and cure of infantile rickets they are essential for the normal development of teeth, and are used for treating osteomalacia and dental caries. They are necessary for the absorption of Ca and P from the gut. 

Applications. The applications sought for these polymers include composites, stmctural plastics, electronics/circuit boards, aircraft/spacecraft coatings, seals, dental and medical prosthetics, and laser window adhesives. However, other than the early commercialization by Du Pont of the NR-150 B material, Httie development has occurred. These polymers are quite expensive ( 110 to 2200 per kg for monomers alone). 

Dentistry. Mercury is used in dental amalgams for fillings in teeth (see Dental materials). Dental uses have accounted for 2—4% of total U.S. mercury consumption since 1980 and generally 3—6% before that time (3). Dental amalgams used to fill cavities in teeth are approximately 50% mercury by weight. Dental use of mercury can be expected to continue to decrease, in part because of more effective cavity prevention as well as development and increasing use of alternative dental materials such as plastics and ceramics, and increasing awareness of the environmental and health effects of mercury. 

Nitrous Oxide. Nitrous oxide, described by Priesdy in 1772, was first used to reHeve severe dental pain in the latter part of the 18th century. Sometime in the mid-1800s N2O was successfully used as an anesthetic, and its widespread usage coincided with the development of anesthesia machines. Nitrous oxide is a nonflammable, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that can exist as a Hquid under pressure at room temperature. It is normally stored in cylinders. However, it supports combustion. 

The Sugars Task Force s Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs recommended a daily consumption of sugars at 10% of total calories, which approximates current (11%) daily intake levels in the United States. At this level, sucrose does contribute to the development of dental caries however, no firm evidence exists that it causes dietary imbalances or deficiencies of vitamins (qv), minerals, or trace nutrients (62). 

The NF and reagent grades are employed in the pharmaceutical industry which makes use of benzyl alcohol s local anesthetic, antiseptic, and solvent properties (17—20). It also finds use in cough symps and drops ophthalmic solutions bum, dental (21), and insect repeUant solutions and ointments and dermatological aerosol sprays. It is used in nail lacquers and as a color developer in hair dyes by the cosmetics industry (22), and in acne treatment preparations (23). 

Calcium Chelates (Salicylates). Several successhil dental cements which use the formation of a calcium chelate system (96) were developed based on the reaction of calcium hydroxide [1305-62-0] and various phenohc esters of sahcyhc acid [69-72-7]. The calcium sahcylate [824-35-1] system offers certain advantages over the more widely used zinc oxide—eugenol system. These products are completely bland, antibacterial (97), facihtate the formation of reparative dentin, and do not retard the free-radical polymerization reaction of acryhc monomer systems. The principal deficiencies of this type of cement are its relatively high solubihty, relatively low strength, and low modulus. Less soluble and higher strength calcium-based cements based on dimer and trimer acid have been reported (82). 

Although plaster has been a very successful and serviceable material, it is seriously lacking in hardness, edge strength, chip resistance, abrasion resistance, and strength to fulfiU many needs of dentistry. Some of these requirements have been partially filled by the development of the type III and type IV plasters. Table 3 Hsts the compression strength of dental plasters. 

Many of the technical problems of fabrication that formerly inhibited the use of titanium alloys in dental castings (164—166) have been effectively solved, and titanium castings may now be obtained for virtually any type of dental appHance at prices that are increasingly competitive. Special induction or electric-arc furnaces are necessary for casting titanium alloys, and this specialized equipment has, until now, been available in only a limited number of commercial dental laboratories. However, the relatively high price of this equipment, attributed to development costs, is expected to decline significantly this should help to improve the general availabihty of cast titanium appHances. 

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F4 Committee on Medical Materials and Devices has developed specifications for chemical composition, mechanical properties, and other factors. Standard test methods also are available from ASTM, 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia. The quaHty of castings is important for dental implants, and standards to define this would be useful. 

National Institutes ofHealth, Consensus Development Conference Statement on Dental Implants, (1988). 

Mechanical removal of plaque is the most effective measure against plaque-caused diseases, dental caries, and periodontal diseases. Even before the advent of fluoride treatments, it was assumed that a clean tooth does not decay. A toothbmsh is effective in removing dental plaque and, for those individuals who optimize its use, it usually can adequately control plaque. Despite the proven efficacy of mechanical plaque removal, the amount of patient involvement is such that only about 30% of the population in developed countries and considerably less in undeveloped countries can be expected to adequately remove plaque (1). Hence, supplementary measures such as dentifrices and dental rinses are necessary. 

METHOD DEVELOPMENT FOR THE POTENTIOMETRIC STRIPPING ANALYSIS OF SOLUBLE COPPER IN DENTAL MATERIALS... 

There have been numerous reports of possible allergic reactions to mercury and mercury salts and to the mercury, silver and copper in dental amalgam as well as to amalgam corrosion products Studies of the release of mercury by amalgams into distilled water, saline and artificial saliva tend to be conflicting and contradictory but, overall, the data indicate that mercury release drops with time due to film formation and is less than the acceptable daily intake for mercury in food . Further, while metallic mercury can sensitise, sensitisation of patients to mercury by dental amalgam appears to be a rare occurrence. Nevertheless, there is a growing trend to develop polymer-based posterior restorative materials in order to eliminate the use of mercury in dentistry. 

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