Failure analysis of eleven Gates Glidden drills that fractured intraorally during post space preparation. A retrieval analysis study
Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the failure mechanism of clinically failed Gates Glidden (GG) drills. Eleven retrieved GG drills (sizes #1 to #3) which fractured during root canal preparation were collected and the fracture location was recorded based on macroscopic observation. All fracture surfaces were investigated by a SEM. Then the fractured parts were embedded in acrylic resin and after metallographic preparation, the microstructure and elemental composition was evaluated by SEM and EDS. The Vickers hardness (HV) of all specimens was also determined. Macroscopic examination and SEM analysis showed that the drills failed near the hand piece end by torsional fatigue with fatigue cracks initiating at several locations around the circumference and propagating toward the center. Final fracture followed by a tensile overloading at the central region of cross section. Microstructural analysis, hardness measurements and EDS show that the drills are made of a martensitic stainless steel like AISI 440C. Based on the findings of this study, clinicians should expect fatigue fracture of GG drills that have small size during root canal preparation. Selection of a more fatigue resistant stainless steel alloy and enhancing the instrument design might reduce the incidence of quasi-cleavage fracture on GG drills.
Effects of sterilization procedures on the cutting efficiency of stainless steel and carbon steel Gates Glidden drills.
One-hundred fifty carbon steel Gates Glidden drills were compared with 150 stainless steel Gates Glidden drills before and after sterilization in an autoclave, salt beads, dry heat, or 2% alkaline glutaraldehyde. Cutting efficiency and separation rates of the drills were evaluated. Stainless steel #1 and 2 Gates Glidden drills resisted separation and maintained their cutting efficiency statistically better than the carbon steel #1 and 2 Gates Glidden drills after one sterilization cycle in an autoclave, salt bead sterilizer, or dry heat oven. Glutaraldehyde did not effect either type of drill.
Educating the Educators: Rethinking Subject Matter and Methods
gate? In addition to general requirements in their professional education such as psychological and social foundations and student teaching, what specifically do social studies teachers need to know and be able to do? What, in particular, do they need to study in the subject matters of the social sciences (defined here, for purposes of brevity, to include history and geography), and what should they learn about its effective direction to desired results, that is, method? Usually answers to the first question require reference to the liberal arts component of teacher education and the second to methods in the professional education component. As we shall see, this separation of subject matter and method in the education of social studies teachers, although conventional, poses problems.