CE Hours: 1.25

Description: Recent technological advances and clinical demands have led to an overwhelming fabrication and production of various types of rotary instruments. Most rotary file designs follow general principles that determine their characteristics, such as flexibility, strength, efficiency, and fracture resistance. This presentation will explore these general principles from a historical angle and introduce a practical and easy-to-follow classification for rotary files based on their characteristics. This lecture will also provide a few physical features of rotary files that clinicians can swiftly identify to determine these characteristics, especially the one involving fracture resistance.

Learning Objectives:  

• List different types of rotary files in terms of design and metallurgy.
• Provide a few examples of how file design can affect clinical performance.
• Demonstrate how file selection can assist in the prevention of separation during treatment.

CE Hours: 0.75

Description: As Endodontists our mission is to save teeth and our specialized training equips us to do so. Biologic and clinical factors that impact endodontic treatment outcomes are widely studied, discussed, and considered in treatment planning. However, other, external factors also impact our ability to maintain the natural dentition. This session will explore factors that have been shown to impact access to endodontic care and outcomes of endodontic treatment, with an emphasis on oral health policy, economic forces, and clinician decision-making. Further, this session will consider how endodontists can promote oral health equity through clinical practice and advocacy.

Learning Objectives:  

• List clinical factors shown to have significant influence on the outcomes of nonsurgical endodontic treatment.
• Discuss nonclinical factors that may impact access to endodontic care.
• Describe national (U.S.) trends in dental care use, insurance coverage, and barriers.

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: 

Since the launch of calcium silicate-based bioceramic sealers, the popularity of its clinical applications has grown dramatically in the last 16 years. Almost 50% of the AAE members and 27% of the ADA members reported using this type of sealer, which have surpassed resin-based sealers and it has become the most widely-used sealer type among endodontists. 

Due to the increase of the interest of these sealers, several companies have developed its own version of a calcium silicate-based bioceramics products (sealer and putty). The majority of these products are pre-mixed which simplify the clinical use. While the verity of these products in the market increase considerably in the last 5 years, the number of clinical and laboratory studies on the latest products have been limited. Although many of them are called bioceramic sealers, there are many variation, among them, their chemical components, sealability, biological activities and more.  

In this presentation we will compare the most popular pre-mixed bioceramic products in the market and show their clinical applications and obturation techniques.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe the endodontic hydraulic bioceramic cements and their clinical interactions 
• Update and compare the traditional and new bioceramics materials available on the market
• Demonstrate tips and tricks on how to use these materials in different clinical cases

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: Understanding of the relationship between Endodontics and systemic disease has evolved considerably over the past century, from the initial pseudo-science related to the focal infection theory to modern day understanding of the pathogenesis inflammatory diseases and their interrelationship. This session will discuss recent information on the association of endodontic disease pathogenesis as well as treatment outcomes with major chronic systemic diseases and their treatment.

Learning Objectives:  

• Identify the relationship between systemic diseases and the pathogenesis of endodontic diseases
• Discuss the relationship between systemic diseases and the treatment outcomes of endodontic diseases
• Present clinically relevant and evidence-based discussion points about this subject

CE Hours: 0.75

Description: Endodontists necessarily focus on the procedural aspects of root canal treatment, from diagnosis to technique and recall. However, we must also understand the patient’s perspective, and we must know ourselves.  Endodontic outcomes, from the presenter’s published systematic reviews, amongst other studies, will be discussed from patients’ and doctors’ points of view.  This presentation will explore data on patient’s perceptions. What do patients know about root canal treatment, and why does this matter? What level of anxiety can be expected, and how can it be reduced? Pain, what should be expected, the intensity, the duration, and management? How does root canal treatment impact quality of life? How much does tooth retention and a smile matter? Differences between institutional outcome studies and real-world community endodontics will be explained. The positive economic impact of root canal treatment on the patient will be enumerated. Data on the critical impact of root canal treatment to the elderly and the vulnerable will be summarized. Ways to identify and understand vulnerable young adults will be explained. We dentists may assume that we are completely objective dispassionate scientific professionals implementing evidence-based practice, but the reality is that we also carry all the complex attributes of humanity. Just like patients, our cognitions, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped by all of our interactions with the wider world. These will be elucidated, and key differences between endodontists and generalists will be documented. This presentation is both a looking glass, and a celebration, of the conduct and impact root canal treatment.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe endodontic outcomes as measured by data from clinical success and survival instruments, patient-centered instruments, and dentists’ perceptions.
• List the outcome metrics that have the highest impact on patients, and comprehensively evaluate a variety of outcome metrics.
• Discuss the impact of dentists’ cognitions, attitudes and behaviors on treatment outcomes.

CE Hours: 1.25

Description: Real-time dynamic navigation and dental lasers are often hailed as groundbreaking innovations in various fields. Real-time dynamic navigation systems, particularly in non-surgical and surgical procedures provide enhanced precision and safety by continuously adapting to changing conditions. Dental lasers offer precise, minimally invasive treatments that can enhance patient outcomes and reduce recovery times. 

But are these technologies truly as transformative as they seem, or are they just advanced iterations of existing tools? This evidence based presentation will delve into the real impact of these innovations, assessing their effectiveness, adoption, and the extent to which they are changing the future non-surgical and microsurgical Endodontics. In this lecture, for the first time, the integration of real-time laser guidance with microsurgical techniques will be presented. Real-time laser guidance represents a significant leap in enhancing precision, safety, and outcomes in endodontic microsurgery.

Learning Objectives:  

• Demonstrate the workflow, and application of real-time dynamic navigation in minimally invasive endodontic procedures as locating calcified canals and microsurgical procedures in close proximity to vital structures.
• Describe the different laser systems, wave lengths available in laser technologies and its different applications in non-surgical (disinfection of root canal systems) and surgical procedures (surgical incisions, osteotomies, root resection and photo-biomodulation).
• Demonstrate the integration of real-time laser-guided technology in Endodontic microsurgery. 

CE Hours: 0.75

Description: To prevent and eliminate apical periodontitis, adequate obturation is paramount for successful non-surgical endodontic treatment.  Gutta percha and sealer are two needed components, and bioceramic obturation is the newest application to address this.  The worldwide use of calcium silicate-based sealers continues to increase along with new obturation techniques.  The single cone technique (hydraulic condensation) has become a time-saving, efficient obturation method using bioceramic sealers. But does this technique predictably provide a bacterial tight seal?  How does its application affect the performance of these materials?  What influence does the single cone technique have on case outcome?  This presentation will explore the predictability of the single cone technique, allowing the listener to make an informed decision on whether, and in what situations, to employ it.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe the properties of bioceramic sealer that make the single cone technique possible.
• Discuss how the application of bioceramic sealer affects its performance.
• List the strengths and limitations of bioceramic obturation using the single cone technique.

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: Pulp canal obliteration is a significant risk factor for endodontic insufficiency, and the clinical treatment approach is challenging even for specialists. Accessing root canals that may be calcified can present complications in locating, penetrating, and negotiating pulp spaces. Efforts to reduce the risk of technical errors and treatment time using new technologies, such as intraoral scanners and their software and 3D printers, have resulted in the development of a therapeutic approach to locate calcified root canals: endodontic guides or guided endodontics. During the present lecture, it will be described the therapeutic approach used in a series of cases of endodontic pathology requiring endodontic treatment of root canals, with different degrees of pulp canal obliteration. In all cases, virtually planned guided endodontics allowed access to obliterated pulp spaces. Once the canals were negotiated, endodontic treatment could be performed adequately. The present results showed static guided endodontics to be a safe accurate treatment approach in these clinical cases and a valuable tool to negotiate calcified root canals, reducing working time, risk of excessive removal of tooth structure, and iatrogenic damage to the root.

Learning Objectives:  

• Evaluate different treatment options for clinical management of calcified canals.
• Describe the steps to carry out the guided endodontics procedure, in cases of obliterated canals.
• Perform static guided endodontics as a safe and predictable procedure to manage calcified canals.

CE Hours: 0.75

Description: Maxillary sinusitis of endodontic origin refers specifically to sinusitis secondary to periradicular disease of endodontic origin. This pathology requires an accurate diagnosis followed by appropriate endodontic treatment to remove the source of endodontic pathogens associated with the periapical disease and secondary sinus infection. The use of CBCT imaging significantly improve the ability to detect mucosal soft tissue changes, sinus membrane thickening and odontogenic sources for sinusitis, such as untreated canals. In this presentation, several cases of maxillary sinusitis of endodontic and dental origin, with different manifestations, diagnostic challenges, treatment and outcomes will be described. All of them with inflammatory sinus changes represented by mucositis, osteoperiostitis or partial obstruction; that showed sinus signs and symptoms which disappeared after dental management. In most of them, the sinus condition had an endodontic origin, however, in one case, sinusitis was caused by trauma to the face. All cases had a satisfactory response of the periradicular tissues and maxillary sinus to treatment that consisted of root canal therapy or trauma management.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe classification of maxillary sinusitis of endodontic origin.
• Diagnose through CBCT maxillary sinusitis associated with endodontic infection.
• Evaluate different treatment alternatives for teeth causing maxillary sinusitis.

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: Nonsurgical root canal retreatment (NS-RCRT) becomes necessary when primary endodontic procedures fail. This study evaluates the efficacy of NS-RCRT using 2% chlorhexidine gel and foraminal enlargement techniques, aiming to assess whether these approaches enhance periapical healing outcomes and success rates compared to traditional NS-RCRT techniques reported in the literature.

At the conclusion of this article, the reader will be able to: 

• Evaluate the impact of foraminal enlargement on periapical healing outcomes in nonsurgical root canal retreatment (NS-RCRT). 
• Discuss the clinical implications of using 2% chlorhexidine gel as the primary irrigant in NS-RCRT. 
• Identify factors influencing the success rates of NS-RCRT based on the findings from the retrospective cohort study.