Diagnosis Of Caries Research Articles

Knowledge and attitude of dentists toward minimally invasive caries management in Almadinah Almunawwarah province, KSA

ObjectiveOver time, the management of dental caries has shifted towards minimally invasive dentistry (MID) and more conservative and evidence-based strategies. Although most dental schools have begun to incorporate MID caries management strategies in their curriculum; it has yet to be established whether these strategies are being implemented in everyday practice. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dentists working in Almadinah Almunawwarah province in KSA with regards to the implementation of MID in caries management. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study which involved sending a self-administered and anonymous questionnaire to dentists practicing in both private and public clinics in Almadinah Almunawwarah, KSA. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: demographic data, dental education, clinical experience, and knowledge and attitude with regards to MID and the management of caries. For statistical analysis, we calculated simple descriptive statistics, including mean and frequency distributions; comparisons were performed using the Chi-squared test. ResultsA total of 130 dentists participated in the study; the majority of respondents were Saudi general dentists working in private dental clinics; there was a similar distribution of males and females and the age of the dentists ranged from 25 to 35 years. With regards to knowledge relating to selective caries removal (SCR), only 20% of subjects responded that SCR is based on lesion depth, while 74.6% reported that carious dentin consistency is important for SCR. Although 60% of respondents reported that they would assess a patient's risk of caries before commencing treatment, only 11.5% would perform risk assessment and non-surgical treatment in the first visit for caries management. Only 4.6% reported that they used the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) II criteria for the diagnosis of caries while 46.2% used the G.V. Black criteria. In addition, 53.8% of participants agreed that caries must be completely removed to prevent the progression of caries. ConclusionDentists in Almadinah Almunawwarah province had reasonable levels of knowledge regarding the importance of MID in caries management. However, they did not fully implement certain concepts, such as caries risk assessment and the recently recommended criteria for the diagnosis of caries, in their everyday clinical practice.

Diagnosis of occlusal enamel caries using near-infrared light transillumination

Diagnosis of occlusal enamel caries using near-infrared light transillumination

Microcomputed Tomography Mineral Density Profile as Reference Standard for Early Carious Lesion Activity Assessment

Early caries diagnosis is crucial to treatment decisions in dentistry and requires identification of lesion activity: whether a carious lesion is active (progressively demineralizing) or arrested (progressively remineralizing). This study aimed to identify microtomographic (micro-CT) differences between active and arrested smooth surface enamel lesions, to quantify those micro-CT differences by creating thresholds for ex vivo caries activity assessment to serve as a future reference standard, and to validate those thresholds against the remaining sample. Extracted human permanent teeth (n = 59) were selected for sound surfaces and non-cavitated smooth surface carious lesions. Each surface was then examined for caries activity by calibrated individuals via visual-tactile examination using the International Caries Classification and Management System (ICCMS) activity criteria. Each tooth was scanned via micro-CT and the mineral density was plotted against lesion depth. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated and represented the loss of density for the outermost 96 μm of enamel. AUC thresholds obtained from micro-CT were established to classify sound, remineralized, and demineralized surfaces against the gold standard examiner’s lesion assessment of sound, inactive, and active lesions, respectively. The established AUC thresholds demonstrated moderate agreement with the assessment in identifying demineralized lesions (k = 0.45), with high sensitivity (0.73) and specificity (0.77). This study demonstrated quantifiable differences among demineralized lesions, remineralized lesions, and sound surfaces, which contributes to the establishment of micro-CT as a reference standard for caries activity that may be used to improve clinical and laboratorial dental caries evaluations.

The Impact of the Socioeconomic Status(SES) on the Oral Health Status Among 15 Year-Old School Adolescents In Kerbala City/Iraq

Dental caries, plaque, calculus and gingivitis are the most common and widely spread oral health conditions affecting humans at different ages. Socioeconomic status was reported to be one of the factors affecting the severity of oral diseases. The aim of the study included studying the impact of socioeconomic status on oral health variables and investigating the prevalence and severity of dental caries, gingivitis, dental plaque, and dental calculus and an excellent data baseline for planning future preventive programs. The total sample was composed of 500 male students at 15 years old selected randomly from the secondary schools in Karbala city. Assessment of the socioeconomic status using a questionnaire; information about the student's socioeconomic status (SES) was obtained from the student's guardians. Diagnosis and recording of dental caries were according to the criteria described by WHO (2013). gingival index of Loe and Silness (1963) was followed for recording gingival health condition, the Plaque index of Silness and Loe (1964) was used for plaque assessment, and the assessment of calculus was done by applying the Ramfjord index (1959). A high prevalence of dental caries (95.60%) was found, and the caries-free students represented (4.40%); the caries prevalence and severity represented by (DMFT)(DMFS) respectively and the (FS) component of the DMF were significantly affected by the socioeconomic status (SES), Dental plaque and calculus are more in low SES group than other groups, with no significant differences, The mean of gingivitis of the total sample was(1.908), also finding gingivitis is more in low SES group than other groups with a Significant difference(0.011), and regarding the Gingival severity, all subjects have the moderate type of gingivitis (1.1-2). There is a clear and significant increase in the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis concerning the socioeconomic status of this adolescent group of students. This requires good dental school health programs and improvement in the education level about the importance of oral health and more regular dental visits. Keywords: Dental caries, oral health, gingivitis, socioeconomic

Current Approaches to Diagnosis of Early Proximal Carious Lesion: A Literature Review.

Integrating technological tools with clinical visual examination for caries detection and diagnosis can improve preventative measures in dentistry, resulting in decreased treatment expenses and reduced time and costs associated with testing potential anticaries agents. This article provides an overview of the conventional and new emerging modern technologies that can assist dental professionals in the early detection and diagnosis of dental caries. These technologies aid in assessing the progression of carious lesions and monitoring them quantitatively or qualitatively over time.Traditional techniques (visual, tactile, and radiographic) have limitations in diagnosing early proximal caries accurately.Novel methods like fluorescence and transillumination, as well as advanced tools like OCT (optical coherence tomography), laser fluorescence, and QLF (quantitative light-induced fluorescence), are effective for early caries detection. Optical methods like fluorescence and transillumination are particularly successful in identifying initial caries stages. Moreover, this reviewhighlights the clinical relevance of these methods and discusses potential future technologies like terahertz imaging and artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches.

Salivary elemental signature of dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of ionomics studies.

Trace- and macro-chemical elements are crucial for cellular physiological functioning, and their alterations in biological fluids might be associated with an underlying pathological state. Hence, this study aimed to examine and summarize the published literature concerning the application of salivary ionomics for caries diagnosis. An extensive search of studies was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus, without any language and year restriction for answering the following PECO question: "In subjects (i.e., children, adolescents, or adults) with good systematic health, are there any variations in the salivary concentrations of trace- or macro-elements between caries-free (CF) individuals and caries-active (CA) subjects?" A modified version of the QUADOMICS tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The Review Manager Version 5.4.1. was used for data analyses. The analysis of salivary chemical elements that significantly differed between CF and CA subjects was also performed. Thirty-four studies were included, involving 2299 CA and 1669 CF subjects, having an age range from 3 to 64years in over 16 countries. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the salivary levels of calcium, phosphorus, chloride, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and zinc between CA and CF subjects, suggesting higher levels of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium in CF subjects while higher levels of chloride, magnesium, and zinc in CA patients. Half of the included studies (17/34) were considered high quality, while the remaining half were considered medium quality. Only zinc and chloride ions were found to be higher significantly and consistent in CF and CA subjects, respectively. Conflicting outcomes were observed for all other salivary chemical elements including aluminum, bromine, calcium, copper, fluoride, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus, lead, selenium, and sulfate ions.

Attitude, perception and barriers of dental professionals towards artificial intelligence

AimTo know attitudes, perceptions and barriers towards the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in dentistry in India among undergraduate and postgraduate students. MethodologyA questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among participants pursuing graduation and postgraduation. The questionnaire consisted of 23 close-ended and 2 open-ended questions divided into various sections of attitude, perception and barriers. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. ResultOut of 937 responses, 55.2% responded that they get information about AI from social media platforms. 51.3% of respondents have basic knowledge about the use of AI in dentistry. 59.6% agreed that AI can be used as a “definitive diagnostic tool” in the diagnosis of diseases. 66.5% agreed that AI can be used for radiographic diagnosis of tooth caries. 71.3% stated that AI can be used as a “treatment planning tool” in dentistry. 55.7% stated that AI should be part of undergraduate dental training. ConclusionThis study concluded that both dental students are aware of the concept of AI. Participants were positive when asked if AI can increase the efficiency of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning procedures as well as in managing patient data. Both participants believed that the barriers to the introduction of AI in dentistry are a lack of technical resources and a lack of training personnel in college.

Impact of Selective median filter on dental caries classification system using deep learning models

&lt;p&gt;Accurate classification of dental caries is crucial for effective oral healthcare. Filters help to increase exposure of the picture taken for the investigation without degrading image quality. Selective median filter is the chosen preprocessing technique that helps to reduce the noise present in the captured image. Dental caries classification system is a model used to detect the presence of cavity in the given input image. Dental caries classification system is evolved with the use of conventional techniques to artificial neural network. Deep learning models are the artificial neural network models that can able to learn the features from the raw images available in the dataset. If this raw image has noise, then it severely affects the accuracy of the deep learning models. In this paper, impact of the preprocessing technique on the classification accuracy is analyzed. Initially, raw images are taken for training on deep learning models without applying any preprocessing technique. This study investigates the impact of Selective median filtering on a dental caries classification system using deep learning models. The motivation behind this research is to enhance the accuracy and reliability of dental caries diagnosis by reducing noise, removing artifacts, and preserving important details in dental radiographs. Experimental results demonstrate that the implementation of Selective median filtering significantly improves the performance of the deep learning model. The hybrid neural network (HNN) classifier achieves an accuracy of 96.15% with Selective median filtering, outperforming the accuracy of 85.07% without preprocessing. The study highlights the theoretical contribution of Selective median filtering in enhancing dental caries classification systems and emphasizes the practical implications for dental clinics, offering improved diagnostic capabilities and better patient outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;

Assessment of dental caries based on ICDAS and WHO criteria: A comparative study.

The decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) index recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which measures the prevalence of caries based on the presence of cavitated caries lesions, is the most used dental caries index in epidemiological studies. Early diagnosis of noncavitated carious lesions enables preventive measures, which has the potential to prevent dental caries-related morbidity and reduce the financial burden associated with restorative or rehabilitative dental care. The International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) incorporates both the cavitated and noncavitated carious lesions with acceptable reliability. To compare dental caries prevalence based on ICDAS II and WHO criteria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 362 children visiting People's Dental College and Hospital, Nayabazar, Kathmandu, Nepal to study dental caries prevalence based on the ICDAS II and WHO criteria. Among the study population, 290 (90.34%) and 169 (68.42%) children had dental caries in primary and permanent teeth according to the ICDAS II criteria, whereas according to WHO criteria, 267 (83.18%) and 107 (43.32%) had dental caries in primary and permanent teeth, respectively. The prevalence of dental caries was significantly higher (p < .001) according to ICDAS II criteria than the prevalence based on WHO criteria in both dentitions. This study showed a significant difference in dental caries prevalence between the ICDAS II and WHO methods of caries diagnosis. The presence of noncavitated carious lesions was alarming. To enable detection of early/noncavitated carious lesions, ICDAS II rather than WHO criteria of caries diagnosis may be a more a valuable tool.

Computed vs. film-based radiographs' contour artifacts influence diagnosis of secondary caries

To test local grey-scale changes on dental bitewing radiographs near filling margins for image acquisition. Forty approximal preparations in caries-free amalgam filled teeth and bitewing radiographs were acquired under standardized conditions applying four techniques. Film-based analog radiographs were digitized using flat-bed scanner (FDR). Phosphor-plate computed radiographs (PCR) were directly acquired by scanning VistaScan imaging plates. Image quality was tested using Preset Filter (PF) or manually applied IntraOral Fine Filter (IF) to enhance digital images. Local changes from digital imaging processing were assessed by comparing the margin-near (MN) and margin-far (MF) zone by a multivariate repeated measurements analysis. All images were acquired with 8-bit depth (256 shades). Dentine was displayed in 79 shades for FDR and 54 shades for PCR. PF or IF locally modify bitewing radiographs by darkening marginal dentine by 8 or 29 shades, respectively. The sharpest display of the margin (shades per pixel) from dentine to filling was found for IF (26.2), followed by FDR (23.2), PF (15.3) and PCR (8.3). Computed radiography with phosphor plates generate more homogeneous images compared to flatbed-digitized film-based radiographs. The filling margin was sharpest represented with the IF filter at the detriment of an artificial darkening of the dentine near the margin of the filling. Contour artifacts by filters have the potential to confound diagnosis of secondary caries. Algorithms and filters for sensor data processing, causing local changes above 2% of the dynamic range by non-continuous mathematical functions, should only be applied with caution, manually when diagnosing and reversibly.

Transforming Dental Caries Diagnosis Through Artificial Intelligence-Based Techniques.

Diagnosing dental caries plays a pivotal role in preventing and treating tooth decay. However, traditional methods of diagnosing caries often fall short in accuracy and efficiency. Despite the endorsement of radiography as a diagnostic tool, the identification of dental caries through radiographic images can be influenced by individual interpretation. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into diagnosing dental caries holds significant promise, potentially enhancing the precision and efficiency of diagnoses. This review introduces the fundamental concepts of AI, including machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and emphasizes their relevance and potential contributions to the diagnosis of dental caries. It further explains the process of gathering and pre-processing radiography data for AI examination. Additionally, AI techniques for dental caries diagnosis are explored, focusing on image processing, analysis, and classification models for predicting caries risk and severity. Deep learning applications in dental caries diagnosis using convolutional neural networks are presented. Furthermore, the integration of AI systems into dental practice is discussed, including the challenges and considerations for implementation as well as ethical and legal aspects. The breadth of AI technologies and their prospective utility in clinical scenarios for diagnosing dental caries from dental radiographs is presented. This review outlines the advancements of AI and its potential in revolutionizing dental caries diagnosis, encouraging further research and development in this rapidly evolving field.

AN IN-DEPTH STUDY ON THE ISOLATION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH DENTAL CARIES

Tooth decay is the gradual breakdown of tooth components, resulting from the loss of hydroxyapatite crystals as part of aging. Mutans Streptococci is one of the species most associated with tooth decay. The samples were isolated and cultured following standard procedures, and the results showed that Streptococcus mutans was indeed the most isolated bacteria, accounting for 47 (85.5%) cases in people with tooth decay. Small soft blue colonies of S. mutans bacteria appeared due to their absence in several individuals which may be attributed to their small numbers. Lactobacilli were also isolated in 8 (14.55%) cases. Antibiotic sensitivity tests against S. mutans showed that this bacterium was sensitive to azithromycin antibiotic and resistant multi-antibiotic tetracycline, as well as amoxicillin, tobramycin, and ciprofloxacin along with chloramphenicol, ampicillin and lincomycin. The objective of this study is to isolate and identify bacteria that cause tooth decay, and determine which antibiotics effectively inhibit them.

Intelligent Electrometric Device for Dental Caries Diagnosis

The article deals with the development of a medical device for high-precision measurement and automatic diagnosis of dental caries stage. The analysis of the composition and characteristics of tooth hard tissues, being the cause of caries and its development, is given. It has been established that the main cause of the carious process is the attack of acid-forming bacteria on tooth enamel. It is shown that the most promising method for caries diagnosis is the electrometric method, which consists in measuring electrical conductivity of the tooth hard tissue electrolyte. Conventional devices for the electrometric method implementation are described, using the direct current through the biological tissue of the tooth, but not taking into account the electrochemical features of the current flow. An electrochemical interpretation of the current flow through biological tissues and two electrodes with a polarity switch of these electrodes was performed, which makes it possible to exclude the effect of polarization of biological tissue and electrodes both for teeth in vivo and in vitro. An equivalent diagram of the current flow through the biological tissue is given, which value can reveal the stage of the carious process: intact enamel, pre-carious state, initial, superficial, medium and deep caries. The use of two current-carrying electrodes for measuring the electrical conductivity of biological tissues is considered: an active electrode made of stainless steel using a 10% solution of CaCl2 and a passive electrode also made of stainless steel and using an electrolyte of the biological tissue of a tooth (simulated by a 0.9% solution of NaCl). A comparative assessment of the tooth biological tissue electrolyte electrical conductivity and electrical conductivity of the active and passive electrode electrolytes was performed to assess the error of the electrometric method. A high-precision intelligent electrometric device (protected by a patent for an invention) has been developed, which allows automatic carious process stage determination by the value of the tooth biological tissue electrical conductivity; the operation of this device is described.

Detection of artificial enamel caries-like lesions with a blue hydroxyapatite-binding porosity probe

ObjectivesThis in vitro study investigated the ability of a blue protein-based hydroxyapatite porosity probe to selectively detect artificial enamel caries-like lesions of varying severities. MethodsArtificial caries-like lesions were formed in enamel specimens using a hydroxyethylcellulose-containing lactic acid gel for 4/12/24/72 or 168 h. One untreated group was used as a control. The probe was applied for 2 min and unbound probe rinsed off with deionized water. Surface color changes were determined spectrophotometrically (L*a*b* color space) and with digital photography. Lesions were characterized using quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF), Vickers surface microhardness, and transverse microradiography (TMR). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. ResultsDigital photography did not reveal any discoloration in unaffected enamel. However, all lesions stained blue with color intensity positively correlated with demineralization times. The color data reflected similar trends: lesions became significantly darker (L* decreased) and bluer (b* decreased), while overall color differences (ΔE) increased significantly after probe application (4-h lesion, mean±standard deviation: ΔL*=-2.6 ± 4.1/Δb*=0.1 ± 0.8/ΔE=5.5 ± 1.3 vs. 168-h lesion: ΔL*=-17.3 ± 1.1/Δb*=-6.0 ± 0.6/ΔE=18.7 ± 1.1). TMR analysis revealed distinct differences in integrated mineral loss (ΔZ) and lesion depth (L) between demineralization times (4-h lesion: ΔZ=391±190 vol%min × µm/L = 18.1 ± 10.9 µm vs. 168-h lesion: ΔZ=3606±499 vol%min × µm/L = 111.9 ± 13.9 µm). QLF and microhardness were also able to differentiate between demineralization times. L and ΔZ strongly correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient [r]) with Δb* (L vs. Δb*: r=-0.90/ΔZ vs. Δb*: r=-0.90), ΔE (r = 0.85/r = 0.81), and ΔL* (r=-0.79/r=-0.73). ConclusionConsidering the limitations of this study, the blue protein-based hydroxyapatite-binding porosity probe appears to be sufficiently sensitive to distinguish between unaffected enamel and artificial caries-like lesions. Clinical significanceEarly detection of enamel caries lesions remains one of the most critical aspects in the diagnosis and management of dental caries. This study highlighted the potential of a novel porosity probe in detecting artificial caries-like demineralization by objective means.

Diagnosis of Proximal Dental Caries Using Intraoral and Extraoral Bitewing Radiographs: A Narrative Review

Radiographic examination using intraoral bitewing (IOBW) radiography is an ideal examination to detect proximal carious lesions. Besides the risk of triggering gag reflex, the IOBW technique is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission through saliva-contaminated film or digital sensor. Examination using intraoral techniques during the COVID-19 pandemic should be avoided to minimize cross-contamination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The alteration from using IOBW to extraoral bitewing (EOBW) radiography can be a promising alternative to overcome these problems. This review article aims to describe the advantages of the EOBW technique and compares diagnostic performance of IOBW and EOBW radiographs in detecting proximal dental caries. The databases used for literature searching in the review include Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria were original articles, case reports, and English and Indonesian scientific textbooks published from 2010 to 2021. The exclusion criteria were article reviews and original articles that did not contain research methods. A total of 29 literatures were discussed in this narrative review. The EOBW technique is recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the risk of cross-contamination in dental radiography. This technique ensures the patient for a more comfortable procedure, with shorter time needed and a wider field of view that allows it to be used to detect bone loss in the alveolar crest. Sensitivity, specificity, and area-under-curve in the IOBW technique were higher than in the EOBW. Nevertheless, EOBW shows good accuracy, so it can be used as an alternative technique for patients who find it difficult to undergo the IOBW technique, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dental Caries in Adult Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis-A Systematic Review.

Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are repeatedly affected by oral diseases or complaints, including xerostomia, periodontitis and dental caries. The aim of this systematic review was the evaluation of caries prevalence and/or incidence in patients with RA. Within this review, there is a systematic search of the literature based on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Two independent researchers performed the search in February 2023. The search terms were "dental caries" AND "rheumatoid arthritis". Additionally, a manual search completed the review process. Studies on adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) only suffering from RA were included. Studies had to explicitly report on the prevalence or incidence of dental caries. The respective studies were checked regarding suitability and, if they were eligible, analyzed qualitatively. A quality appraisal was performed for all of the analyzed studies. A total of 336 studies were detected, of which 16 studies met the in- and exclusion criteria. The sample sizes of the clinical investigations ranged between 13 and 1337 participants. Twelve studies evaluated a healthy control group. In 8/12 studies, a significant difference in the prevalence/incidence of caries was found between RA patients and controls. The majority of the studies applied the decayed (DT), missing and filled teeth index (DMFT) for the diagnosis of caries. On average (mean value), 0.8 to 5.79 carious teeth per patient were reported across the studies. There was no information on the stadium, activity or location of caries (e.g., root caries) in any study. Quality appraisal revealed a moderate quality for most studies. In conclusion, caries prevalence was heterogeneous across studies, while a higher caries prevalence was repeatedly reported in RA patients against controls. Further research regarding dental caries in RA appears recommendable; multidisciplinary, patient-centered dental care for patients with RA should be fostered to improve patients' dental health status.

Evaluating Skills and Confidence Status of House Officers in Managing Dental Patients: A Mixed Method Study in a Private Dental Institute of Karachi

Objective: To evaluate the skills and confidence status of house officers in managing dental patients.&#x0D; Study Design: Mixed method (Sequential-explanatory) study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi Pakistan, from Mar 2019 to Mar 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was developed for the 1st phase of the study. After validation from the content experts, a pilot test was run on 18 house officers before administering the questionnaire. It included 46 dental procedures; participants rated their skills and confidence in performing them using a Likert scale of 1 to 5 points ranging from poor to excellent. In the 2nd phase, sixteen face-to-face interviews were conducted to explain the reasons for acquiring skills and confidence status.&#x0D; Results: The response rate was 100%. Fifty-eight house officers filled out the questionnaire. Participants with multiple rotations reported significantly above average confidence status with multiple rotations of retainer insertion (81%), treatment of malocclusion using removable appliances (82%), fissure sealants (78%), anterior endodontic (80%), posterior amalgam (69%), oral hygiene (69%), and diagnosis of caries (67%), TMJ disorders (69%), rubber dam placement (71%) and properly prescribed recommended medicine (65%) when compared to the single rotation. The most important high-confidence status themes in evaluating skills were practising the procedures and internal motivation.&#x0D; Conclusion: Multiple rotations with repeated practice sessions enhanced house officers' skills and confidence status.Procedures that were least practised scored the lowest in overall mean confidence.Keywords: Confidence status, Curriculum, Dental graduates, Dental procedures, Evaluation, House officers, Skills.

Dental Loupe’s Role in Detection of Caries of Molars in Children by Student and Dentists

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to examine the effectiveness of diagnosing occlusal caries in molar teeth in children under the use of loupes and, secondarily, to examine whether there is a difference in the diagnosis between permanent and primary teeth using dental loupes. In addition, to check whether the student’s diagnosis using loupes improves caries diagnosis compared to dentists’ diagnosis in both methods. Methods: The data were collected from 163 patients aged 6–14 who sought treatment in the Pedodontic Department of the Faculty of Dentistry at Tel-Aviv University during 2020–2021. The first and second permanent molars and second primary molars with deep groves were examined. A student and dentists made the diagnosis with and without loupes while using the ICDAS criteria. Results: The student’s examinations without the loupes detected no caries in 60% of the cases compared to 76.9% in the examinations with the loupes and found initial caries without cavitation (ICDAS1) in only 17.6% of teeth without loupes examination compared to 33% using loupes. The dentist correctly diagnosed no caries (ICDAS0) in 82.1% of cases without loupes and initial caries without cavitation (ICDAS1) in 62.5% of cases. The dentist correctly diagnosed distinct caries without cavitation (ICDAS2) in 90.8% of cases. No differences were observed in caries diagnosis between primary and permanent teeth when the examiner was a specialist/intern using loupes; however, there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.047) when the diagnosis was made by a student using loupes. Clinical significance: The use of dental loupes is an effective method for the correct and early diagnosis of occlusal caries lesions in children’s molar teeth by both dentists and students, and this is in accordance with the principle of minimally invasive dentistry. There is a justification for the use of dental loupes for the diagnosis of initial occlusal caries in primary and permanent molars in children in a precise way. Using loupes especially improves the correct diagnosis of initial caries in primary teeth by students.

Panoramik Radyograflar İnterproksimal Çürük Tanısında Ne Kadar Kullanışlıdır? Diş Hekimliği Öğrencileri ve Diş Hekimleriyle Yapılan Bir Çalışma

Purpose: It was aimed to investigate the usability of panoramic radiographs without bitewing radiographs in the diagnosis of interproximal caries and to compare the performance of trainee dentists and dentists in the diagnosis of interproximal caries on panoramic radiographs.&#x0D; Material and Method: 20 4th grade, 20 5th grade students studying at Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry and 20 general dentists were included in the study. In the study, images of 11 individuals who had both panoramic and bitewing taken on the same day within the indication in 2020 were used. Initially, radiographs were evaluated by three Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology research assistants, and caries on the interproximal surfaces of posterior teeth were recorded with a consensus on bitewing radiographs. Second, the participants who agreed to participate in the study evaluated only the panoramic radiographs and coded the lesions at the interfaces of the premolar and molar teeth as “0”, “1”, “2”, and “3” according to their depth. Statistical analyzes were performed with SPSS v.22 software. Results: Dentists were the most successful in terms of correct evaluation of teeth in terms of the presence or absence of caries (80.52%). This was followed by class 5 (67.29%) and class 4 (60.12%) students. (p

Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of dental diseases on panoramic radiographs: a preliminary study

BackgroundArtificial intelligence (AI) has been introduced to interpret the panoramic radiographs (PRs). The aim of this study was to develop an AI framework to diagnose multiple dental diseases on PRs, and to initially evaluate its performance.MethodsThe AI framework was developed based on 2 deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), BDU-Net and nnU-Net. 1996 PRs were used for training. Diagnostic evaluation was performed on a separate evaluation dataset including 282 PRs. Sensitivity, specificity, Youden’s index, the area under the curve (AUC), and diagnostic time were calculated. Dentists with 3 different levels of seniority (H: high, M: medium, L: low) diagnosed the same evaluation dataset independently. Mann-Whitney U test and Delong test were conducted for statistical analysis (ɑ=0.05).ResultsSensitivity, specificity, and Youden’s index of the framework for diagnosing 5 diseases were 0.964, 0.996, 0.960 (impacted teeth), 0.953, 0.998, 0.951 (full crowns), 0.871, 0.999, 0.870 (residual roots), 0.885, 0.994, 0.879 (missing teeth), and 0.554, 0.990, 0.544 (caries), respectively. AUC of the framework for the diseases were 0.980 (95%CI: 0.976–0.983, impacted teeth), 0.975 (95%CI: 0.972–0.978, full crowns), and 0.935 (95%CI: 0.929–0.940, residual roots), 0.939 (95%CI: 0.934–0.944, missing teeth), and 0.772 (95%CI: 0.764–0.781, caries), respectively. AUC of the AI framework was comparable to that of all dentists in diagnosing residual roots (p > 0.05), and its AUC values were similar to (p > 0.05) or better than (p < 0.05) that of M-level dentists for diagnosing 5 diseases. But AUC of the framework was statistically lower than some of H-level dentists for diagnosing impacted teeth, missing teeth, and caries (p < 0.05). The mean diagnostic time of the framework was significantly shorter than that of all dentists (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe AI framework based on BDU-Net and nnU-Net demonstrated high specificity on diagnosing impacted teeth, full crowns, missing teeth, residual roots, and caries with high efficiency. The clinical feasibility of AI framework was preliminary verified since its performance was similar to or even better than the dentists with 3–10 years of experience. However, the AI framework for caries diagnosis should be improved.