CE Hours: 1.5

Description: It is essential for all endodontists to possess basic knowledge of emergency treatment for dental trauma, as well as the ability to recognize and manage late complications that often arise after traumatic dental injuries. This session will review the latest AAE Trauma Guidelines, highlighting the updates and what remains unchanged. Additionally, it will provide an update on treatment options that endodontists should be able to perform for the most common late complications, with a focus on preserving the alveolus and alveolar bone in young patients with severely compromised teeth after dental trauma. This discussion will include treatment options such as root resorptions, root submergence, decoronation, and autotransplantation.

Learning Objectives:  

• Discuss the latest AAE's Dental Trauma Guidelines.
• Diagnose the most common late complications following dental trauma.
• Describe treatment options for severely compromised teeth caused by dental trauma.

CE Hours: 1.25

Description: Vital pulp therapy (VPT) plays a crucial role in managing mature permanent teeth with pulp exposure or inflammation, offering a less invasive alternative to root canal treatment. The decision on when and how to perform VPT depends on the degree of pulp involvement, the tooth's vitality, and clinical symptoms. Key VPT options include direct pulp capping, partial pulpotomy, and full pulpotomy, each with specific indications based on the extent of pulpal inflammation. Recent advancements in biomaterials, mineral trioxide aggregate and other bioceramic materials, have improved treatment outcomes by promoting pulp healing and reducing the risk of failure. Hence, these treatment modalities are emerging as promising treatments for maintaining tooth vitality in children and adults. Proper case selection, strict asepsis, using biocompatible materials and good coronal seal are mandatory for success. This presentation reviews the past, present and future of VPT along with the current VPT options, emphasizing the importance of diagnosis, material selection, and individualized treatment planning to achieve optimal long-term outcomes in younger and adult patients.

Learning Objectives:  

• Identify the indications and contraindications for VPT
• Evaluate the prognostic factors influencing treatment outcomes, including pulp status, restorative seal, and microbial control.
• Interpret current evidence-based guidelines and literature supporting the use of VPT

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: This study aimed to assess the effect of cavity designs on instrumentation, obturation and fracture resistance for mandibular first premolars with Vertucci V canal.

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

• Discuss which cavity design is appropriate for mandibular first premolars with Vertucci V canal. 
• Compare the effectiveness of different cavity designs in instrumentation, obturation and preservation of dentin and fracture resistance. 
• Describe the steps of preparing an access cavity for premolars with Vertucci V canal. 

CE Hours: 1.5

Description: Endodontic complications of varying severity can unfortunately occur during most stages of endodontic treatment. This lecture aims to enhance understanding of common endodontic complications and recommends current management and solutions with an evidence-based approach. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative issues will be discussed, including possible aetiologies and prevention during root canal therapy. We will address the impact of complications on both patients and practitioners, underscoring the importance of clear communication in preserving the clinician-patient relationship.  Attendees will gain current advice and knowledge on how to tackle endodontic complications effectively, fostering excellence in clinical practice and improved patient care.

Learning Objectives:  

• Recognize and identify common endodontic complications.
• Implement evidence based management strategies.
• Develop strategies for preventing endodontic complications.

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: 0.75

Description: The purpose of vital pulp therapy (VPT) is to maintain the health of all or part of the pulp in normal or inflamed pulps. This group of treatments includes direct pulp capping, partial and full pulpotomy. For decades, VPT has been recommended and widely accepted as treatment for mechanical or carious pulp exposure of permanent immature teeth, with pre-operative diagnosis of normal pulp or pulpitis, to assure completion of root formation (apexogenesis). Over the past decade, advancements in our understanding of pulp biology coupled with the development of new bioactive materials have expanded the indications for VPT. Recent high-quality scientific evidence encouraged clinicians, and also endodontic associations, to suggest VPT as a predictable approach for treatment of mature permanent teeth with preoperative inflammation, in order to conserve the pulp’s protective mechanisms and great healing capacities. Notably, pulpotomy now offers a viable alternative to traditional root canal treatments for mature permanent teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. The success of VPT greatly depends on i) the absence of microorganisms, and ii) the pulpal immunocompetence/level of inflammation. Presently, these conditions cannot be reliably assessed through clinical methods alone. Consequently, it is essential to integrate meticulous pre-operative pulp diagnosis with careful intraoperative assessment of pulp tissue to ensure proper case selection. Furthermore, strict adherence to established operative protocols is crucial to improve treatment outcomes.

Learning Objectives:  

• Explain the histopathologic basis for clinical application of pulpotomy.
• Describe how intraoperative pulp tissue assessment influences the clinical decision making process.
• Discuss the factors affecting the immediate and long term outcome of pulpotomy.

CE Hours: 1.25

Description: Vital pulp therapy (VPT) plays a crucial role in managing mature permanent teeth with pulp exposure or inflammation, offering a less invasive alternative to root canal treatment. The decision on when and how to perform VPT depends on the degree of pulp involvement, the tooth's vitality, and clinical symptoms. Key VPT options include direct pulp capping, partial pulpotomy, and full pulpotomy, each with specific indications based on the extent of pulpal inflammation. Recent advancements in biomaterials, mineral trioxide aggregate and other bioceramic materials, have improved treatment outcomes by promoting pulp healing and reducing the risk of failure. Hence, these treatment modalities are emerging as promising treatments for maintaining tooth vitality. Proper case selection, strict asepsis, using biocompatible materials and good coronal seal are mandatory for success. This presentation reviews the current VPT options, emphasizing the importance of diagnosis, material selection, and individualized treatment planning to achieve optimal long-term outcomes in younger and adult patients.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe the indications for vital pulp therapy (VPT) in treating mature permanent teeth in young patients and adults.
• Assess the role of infection control and a final restoration in successful vital pulp therapy procedures. 
• Examine the long-term outcomes and success rates of various vital pulp therapy procedures.

CE Hours: 0.75

Description: Vital pulp therapy (VPT) has gained more attention in the past decade due to the use of calcium silicate-based cement, understanding of the biological and molecular basis of pulp response to infection and knowing the regenerative capacity of dental pulp stem cells. Calcium hydroxide has been the pulp capping materials for half a century; however, it has not been a popular practice for carious pulp exposure or teeth with symptomatic pulpitis due to low success rates. Furthermore, it has been a clinical perception that pulp capping with Ca((OH)2 would lead to severe canal calcification. For these reasons, VPT therapy has not been a mainstream practice in the endodontic specialty. The introduction of MTA, discovery of dental pulp stem cells, and the advancement of the understanding of pulp inflammation in the past decade led to the resurrection of VPT. This presentation will discuss several key areas concerning VPT that either have been misunderstood or lack of understanding: i) Source of replacement odontoblasts and the quality of the new dentin, ii) progression of pulp inflammation responding to infection, iii) pulp stem cell response to the capping materials, iv) the mystery of pulp undergoing calcific metamorphosis after capping, and v) biological basis of clinical failure and how to improve success rates.

Learning Objectives:  

• Describe the source of replacement odontoblasts from the pulp.
• Clarify the nature of pulp calcific metamorphosis.
• Relate the knowledge of the biological and molecular basis of pulp inflammation to diagnosis and treatment outcomes including clinical failures.

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: Vital pulp therapy offers a promising approach to significantly prolong the lifespan of a tooth. Over the past decade, the evidence and outcomes associated with vital pulp treatment have evolved substantially. In 2021, the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) released a new position paper on this topic, providing a foundation for updated practices. This presentation will build on that foundation to highlight key aspects of vital pulp therapy, with a primary focus on managing teeth with carious exposures and symptoms of irreversible pulpitis. Through case-based analysis, it will explore treatment options grounded in evidence-based protocols. Additionally, the presentation will address common challenges to implementation, such as coding, scheduling, and material selection.

Learning Objectives:  

• Identify appropriate teeth for various treatment options and understand the expected outcomes for each approach.
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the essential steps involved in performing vital pulp therapy.
• Evaluate the key prognostic factors that influence the success of vital pulp treatment.

CE Hours: 1.0

Description: Pulpotomy is a proven treatment option for permanent teeth with pulp involvement, showing high success rates similar to root canal treatment. General anesthesia (GA) is used when traditional dental procedures are not feasible, especially in pediatric cases. Despite its effectiveness, limited data on endodontic treatments under GA is available, with many guidelines favoring extractions. This study aimed to evaluate the success rate of pulpotomies performed under GA on children’s first permanent molars and to identify factors influencing treatment outcomes.

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

• Describe the success rates and clinical outcomes of pulpotomy procedures performed under general anesthesia in first permanent molars.
• Identify the factors influencing the choice of endodontic treatment plans under general anesthesia and the criteria for referring patients for GA.
• Evaluate the advantages of pulpotomy compared to root canal treatment, especially in the context of general anesthesia and its clinical challenges.