other proper cementitious materials, and not in the first place by reaction with water, cannot rationally be described as an HSC; to do so would be chemically false representation. Such a material is not fundamentally different from the old silicate cements that were mixed with phosphoric acid for setting, although they may be nearer to setting calcium hydroxide liners in the primary reaction. But here, again, water that must and will diffuse in must and will react in the usual way with any remaining core (and again cause expansion), but the setting mechanism as such is not at all that of an HSC. They may not be called HSCs, or suggested to be such.
1.7 Conclusion
It is possible to go on and dissect many more aspects of endodontic materials and treatments from a materials science perspective, most especially for the chemistry that is abused, ignored, or imagined. Were one not inured to a working life exposed to such, despair would follow rather promptly. Given that the role of all dentists, and thus of nonclinical teachers as well, is ultimately to ensure patient well‐being, the plea now is for the underlying science (and its practitioners, therefore) to be respected, given credit, and adopted as the means of supporting that motivation.
Critical reading and informed thinking can reveal much about the dogma, unwarranted assumptions, and wishful thinking (despite perhaps the best of intentions) that pervade endodontics at least as much as anywhere else in dentistry. Challenge it all – nullius in verba – and in so doing, with an open mind and sound advice, take the subject forward: true evidence‐based dentistry awaits your contribution.
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Note
1 1 The irony of having to refer to the ‘mineral' of tooth tissue is not lost on me.
2 Pulp Capping Materials for the Maintenance of Pulp Vitality
Phillip L. Tomson1 and Henry F. Duncan2
1School of Dentistry, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
2Division of Restorative Dentistry and Periodontology, Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2.2 Maintaining Pulp Vitality 2.2.1 Why Maintain the Pulp? 2.2.2 Pulpal Irritants 2.2.3 Pulpal Healing After Exposure 2.2.4 Classifications of Pulpitis and Assessing the Inflammatory State of the Pulp 2.2.5 Is Pulpal Exposure a Negative Prognostic Factor? 2.2.6 Soft Tissue Factors Unique to the Tooth
2.3 Clinical Procedures for Maintaining Pulp Vitality 2.3.1 Managing the Unexposed Pulp 2.3.2 Tooth Preparation to Avoid Exposure
