Mihai Andrei

Teeth may retain forensic value after chemical exposure, yet the effects of commercially available corrosive agents remain insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated short-term alteration patterns in human teeth exposed to household acidic and alkaline products available on the Romanian market. Five extracted mandibular third molars were analyzed, including four experimental teeth and one control. Each experimental tooth was fully immersed for 48 h in a different agent: hydrochloric acid descaler, sodium hypochlorite bleach, mixed hydrochloric/sulfuric acid descaler, or sodium hydroxide. Morphometric changes, mass, and pH were monitored serially, while stereomicroscopy, SEM-EDX, and hard tissue ground sections were used for structural and compositional assessment. Acid-exposed teeth showed the greatest damage, with major mass loss in the hydrochloric acid and mixed-acid samples, enamel loss, and marked microstructural disruption. The mixed-acid specimen exhibited the most severe collapse and near-complete calcium/phosphorus depletion. Sodium hypochlorite produced mainly superficial and root-level alterations with relative preservation of gross morphology, whereas sodium hydroxide caused minimal dimensional change and a calcium-rich adherent surface deposit. These findings show that household corrosives produce distinct, forensically recognizable dental alteration patterns within 48 h and support an integrated pattern-recognition approach in suspected chemical concealment scenarios.

Dental hard tissues, through their remarkable resistance to degradation, represent one of the most durable biological materials available for postmortem investigation. The preparation of undecalcified or ground sections allows microscopic visualization of enamel, dentin and cementum structures, which can preserve chronological, physiological, or environmental information. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the forensic applications of dental hard tissue ground sections, focusing on methodological principles, interpretive potential and practical constraints. The literature in forensic odontology highlights their relevance for age estimation through tooth cementum annulation, identification of neonatal and accentuated stress lines, and the assessment of thermal or chemical alterations. While these methods have proven scientific validity in anthropology and histology, their forensic implementation remains limited by heterogeneity in protocols and interpretative subjectivity. Standardization of preparation techniques, digital imaging, and integration with complementary analyses such as micro-CT or SEM could enhance the reliability and medico-legal relevance of this classical but underused approach.

Pulp capping is a vital pulp therapy that aims to prolong the life of a tooth by protecting it after pulp exposure occurred. Pulp capping biomaterials are intended to induce odontoblasts to deposit a natural tertiary dentin barrier to protect the pulp-dentin complex. Two pulp capping agents with calcium silicates in their composition, but with different mechanisms of the setting reaction were tested in vivo with the main objective of comparing their effect on the pulp-dentin complex. The specific aim was to evaluate the preservation of pulp vitality following in vivo direct and indirect pulp capping on eight human third molars. TheraCal LC, a light-cured calcium silicate-based material, was tested both by direct and indirect pulp capping, while the mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) cement was tested by direct pulp capping. The molars were assessed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and by light microscopy and stereo-microscopy following histological processing of the teeth. Dental pulp vitality testing was performed before tooth extraction. Inflammatory pulp status was performed on light microscopy images and it was investigated the presence of inflammatory infiltrate, edema, vascular congestion and pulp necrosis. Following pulp capping, the MTA cement showed more favorable results, generating the formation of complete or incomplete dentin bridges in all treated teeth, while TheraCal LC induced the formation of dentin bridges in only two teeth. Tooth vitality was preserved in all tested teeth. In conclusion, both materials stimulated neodentinogenesis, with the MTA cement being more effective and presenting a much more favorable biological pulpal response

Amidst the prevalence of aggressive bacterial infections that can impact both oral and systemic health following various dental and implant procedures, the search for alternative, high-performing and biocompatible materials has become a challenging pursuit. The need for such investigations is increasing owing to the fact that toxicological risks of cobalt–chromium (CoCr) alloys used in dentistry have become a part of the EU’s new Medical Devices Regulations establishing that cobalt metal has been classified as carcinogenic, genotoxic and detrimental to reproduction. Within this context, this review proposes high entropy alloys (HEA) as potential alternatives and presents their characteristics and in vitro biological performance when used as a substrate or coating. Anatomical details of the oral cavity in relationship with prosthodontics and implant dentistry support the paper’s motivation and presentation. The review highlights the innovative manufacturing procedures, microstructure and properties of both the bulk and coatings of BioHEA. It evaluates the performance of BioHEAs based on their complete characterization and assesses their suitability for novel applications in dentistry, serving as the primary objective of this manuscript.

This paper is a review focused on the capability of graphene oxide (GO) coatings in preventing peri-implantitis. Firstly, the paper establishes GO’s place in the frame of carbonic materials and its role as a composite material in dentistry in the prevention of bacterial infections and in sustaining osseointegration. Secondly, the most relevant articles on GO as implant coatings and their associated shortcomings are presented and emphasizing is placed on the areas where more data is needed. The main chapters are devoted to the relationship between GO and biofilm formation on the implants and the surrounding periodontal tissue and we also attempt to evaluate GO’s efficacy in the case of peri-implantitis. Our findings strongly indicate that GO is a promising material for mitigating the problems mentioned, but some answers remain to be answered through rigorous research before declaring it a real success.

Dental pulp vitality is a desideratum for preserving the health and functionality of the tooth. In certain clinical situations that lead to pulp exposure, bioactive agents are used in direct pulp-capping procedures to stimulate the dentin-pulp complex and activate reparative dentinogenesis. Hydraulic calcium-silicate cements, derived from Portland cement, can induce the formation of a new dentin bridge at the interface between the biomaterial and the dental pulp. Odontoblasts are molecularly activated, and, if necessary, undifferentiated stem cells in the dental pulp can differentiate into odontoblasts. An extensive review of literature was conducted on MedLine/PubMed database to evaluate the histological outcomes of direct pulp capping with hydraulic calcium-silicate cements performed on animal models. Overall, irrespective of their physico-chemical properties and the molecular mechanisms involved in pulp healing, the effects of cements on tertiary dentin formation and pulp vitality preservation were positive. Histological examinations showed different degrees of dental pulp inflammatory response and complete/incomplete dentin bridge formation during the pulp healing process at different follow-up periods. Calcium silicate materials have the ability to induce reparative dentinogenesis when applied over exposed pulps, with different behaviors, as related to the animal model used, pulpal inflammatory responses, and quality of dentin bridges.

This paper aims to investigate the electrochemical stability of four dental implants based on titanium alloys, rejected and recovered from patients diagnosed with peri-implantitis. The recovered implants were investigated over one week through open circuit potential (OCP) measurements, Tafel analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Patients’ X-rays and clinical data were collected. The OCP measurements showed numerous variations of the potential over time, with increases and decreases, which indicated passivation–depassivation cycles. The main corrosion parameters were obtained through Tafel analysis. Corrosion rates and polarization curves suggested a greater instability trend over time for one implant. Bode Modulus and Nyquist diagrams were obtained after EIS was performed and electrical circuits were proposed and fitted for the dental implants in order to follow the materials resistance over time. Although two implants had the highest initial recorded resistances, they showed the most decrease over time. SEM micrographs showed pitting corrosion, while the presence of the Cl element in the EDS spectra indicated the presence of chlorides associated with these processes. The analyses performed on the dental implants denoted instability, with a different behavior for each one.

This paper aims to investigate the composition, surface, and microstructural characteristics, and bioactivity of two commercially available pulp capping materials known as TheraCal LC and BIO MTA+. The materials were prepared as cylindrical samples and assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and complex thermal analysis for mineralogical characterization, and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive of X-ray (EDX), Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for microstructural and surface characteristics. The in vitro bioactivity was highlighted by surface mineralization throughout SEM coupled with EDX and FT-IR analysis. XRD analysis performed on both materials showed calcium silicate phases and different radiopacifying compounds. AFM measurements indicated a smoother and more homogenous surface with a lower average roughness for TheraCal LC due to the resin matrix from its composition. FT-IR analysis displayed bands for several compounds in both materials. Both materials exhibited bioactive properties showing surface mineralization after being immersed in solution similar to the human physiological environment. However, the MTA cement showed a better mineralization due to the anhydrous and hydrated phases.