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This study aimed to investigate the frequency of dental visits after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children and adolescents in comparison to that of adults. The data on the number of dental visits on the basis of different classification and treatment codes for all the age groups were provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from January 2017 to December 2020. To reduce the impact of the population change, dental visits per 1000 people was used. After the start of the pandemic, dental visits per 1000 people decreased in all age groups when analyzed for the diseases of pulp and periapical tissues classification code and dental visits per 1000 people decreased over 5 years age groups when analyzed for the pulp treatment code. Regarding the restorative treatment code, visits in the 0 - 19 years age group decreased after the pandemic. Based on the comparison of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to that of monthly dental visits by treatment codes, the change rate of pulp and restorative treatments gradually decreased after the waves of the pandemic in February and August 2020 in Korea. Furthermore, dental visits per 1000 people for gingivitis and periodontal disease classification code increased after the pandemic in all age groups. The rate of decrease in dental visits per 1000 people for restorative treatments in children and adolescents was higher than that in adults. The rate of decrease in the number of dental visits for multi-visit pulp treatments showed a rapid decrease as compared to that of 1-visit pulp treatments after the pandemic. This study identified changes in the number of dental visits of children and adolescents after COVID-19 transmission in comparison to that observed in adults.
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Purpose@#This study was to investigate the types of imaging modalities, analytical methods for age estimation, and the age of the subjects in research on age estimation using dental radiography through a scoping review, and to investigate the overall trends in age estimation studies. @*Materials and Methods@#A scoping review was designed according to the Arksey and O’Malley guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Three electronic databases were used as search sources (Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library). Studies were classified according to the three main components of the research question. “What are the imaging modalities, analytical methods, and target age in dental imaging-based age estimation studies?”Result: The final 198 studies were selected by two reviewers. The most common imaging modality used in studies was panoramic radiography (69.7%), and studies using cone-beam computed tomography have increased over time. Analytical methods for age estimation were 62.6% in studies based on tooth development and 26.3% in studies using pulp/tooth ratio. The subject age was 27.8% for children and 27.3% for adults. Studies conducted in all age groups comprised the smallest category (5.2%). @*Conclusion@#Panoramic radiography has been the most used types of imaging modalities for age estimation, and the most common analytical method was analysis of tooth development. Most studies targeted specific ages, and very few involved all age groups. Dental age estimation studies should be carried out with appropriate consideration of the imaging modality that is analyzed, the methods that are used, and the age that is targeted.
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Objective@#The objectives of this study were to compare the time-dependent changes in occlusal contact area (OCA) and bite force (BF) of the deviated and non-deviated sides in mandibular prognathic patients with mandibular asymmetry before and after orthognathic surgery and investigate the factors associated with the changes in OCA and BF on each side. @*Methods@#The sample consisted of 67 patients (33 men and 34 women; age range 15-36 years) with facial asymmetry who underwent 2-jaw orthognathic surgery. OCA and BF were taken before presurgical orthodontic treatment, within 1 month before surgery, and 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. OCA and BF were measured using the Dental Prescale System. @*Results@#The OCA and BF decreased gradually before surgery and increased after surgery on both sides. The OCA and BF were significantly greater on the deviated side than on the non-deviated side before surgery, and there was no difference after surgery. According to the linear mixed-effect model, only the changes in the mandibular plane angle had a significant effect on BF (p < 0.05). @*Conclusions@#There was a difference in the amount of the OCA and BF between the deviated and non-deviated sides before surgery. The change in mandibular plane angle affects the change, especially on the non-deviated side, during the observation period.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate QLF (quantitative light-induced fluorescence) technology for the caries detection in primary teeth and validate the relationships between the cavity volume of carious lesions and QLF analysis results. Total 125 tooth surfaces include 53 occlusal surfaces, and 72 proximal surfaces were investigated with the portable QLF device for detection of dental caries in primary molars. Micro-CT radiograph was also performed to classify carious lesions and calculate the cavity volume. QLF showed good accuracy and reliability (sensitivity 0.75 - 0.94, specificity 0.82 - 0.95, and AUROC 0.88 - 0.98) for the caries detection in primary teeth except ΔR average results of proximal caries which showed relatively low values. Statistically significant relationships were found between ΔF average, QS-Index and the cavity volume according to Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients (r = 0.805 - 0.832, p < 0.001). QLF detection method would be a harmless and reliable way for children to diagnose dental caries without the concern about radiation exposure.
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Background@#Dental studies of precocious puberty have focused on examination of jaw and dentition growth. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between precocious puberty and maxillary dental developmental abnormalities (DDAs). @*Methods@#This retrospective study was conducted on the Korean patients in whom dental panoramic and hand-wrist radiographs had been taken before they were 15 years of age. The maxillary DDAs were assessed as mesiodens, congenital missing teeth, peg-shape lateral incisors, or impacted teeth. The chronological ages of the control group members were within the normal range of the hand-wrist bone age. Others with a peak luteinizing hormone of ≥ 5 and < 5 IU/L were allocated to central precocious puberty (CPP) and peripheral precocious puberty (PPP), respectively. @*Results@#Of the enrolled 270 patients, 195, 52, and 23 were allocated to the control, CPP, and PPP groups, respectively. The maxillary DDAs were significantly more prevalent in the CPP group than in the other groups. Among those with maxillary DDA, the mesiodens predominated. Age- and sex-adjusted multivariate analysis revealed maxillary DDA (odds ratio, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.60-7.05) and especially mesiodens (odds ratio, 5.52; CI, 2.29-13.28) to be significantly associated with CPP. @*Conclusions@#Maxillary DDAs were significantly more prevalent in the CPP group than in the PPP or control groups. Among the many types of maxillary DDAs, mesiodens was significantly associated with CPP and may be considered a predictor of the development of CPP.
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Background@#Dental studies of precocious puberty have focused on examination of jaw and dentition growth. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between precocious puberty and maxillary dental developmental abnormalities (DDAs). @*Methods@#This retrospective study was conducted on the Korean patients in whom dental panoramic and hand-wrist radiographs had been taken before they were 15 years of age. The maxillary DDAs were assessed as mesiodens, congenital missing teeth, peg-shape lateral incisors, or impacted teeth. The chronological ages of the control group members were within the normal range of the hand-wrist bone age. Others with a peak luteinizing hormone of ≥ 5 and < 5 IU/L were allocated to central precocious puberty (CPP) and peripheral precocious puberty (PPP), respectively. @*Results@#Of the enrolled 270 patients, 195, 52, and 23 were allocated to the control, CPP, and PPP groups, respectively. The maxillary DDAs were significantly more prevalent in the CPP group than in the other groups. Among those with maxillary DDA, the mesiodens predominated. Age- and sex-adjusted multivariate analysis revealed maxillary DDA (odds ratio, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.60-7.05) and especially mesiodens (odds ratio, 5.52; CI, 2.29-13.28) to be significantly associated with CPP. @*Conclusions@#Maxillary DDAs were significantly more prevalent in the CPP group than in the PPP or control groups. Among the many types of maxillary DDAs, mesiodens was significantly associated with CPP and may be considered a predictor of the development of CPP.
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PURPOSE: This study evaluated the predictive performance of a combination of self-report questionnaires, salivary hemoglobin levels, and age as a non-invasive screening method for periodontitis. METHODS: The periodontitis status of 202 adults was examined using salivary hemoglobin levels, responses to 10 questions on a self-report questionnaire, and the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). The ability of those two variables and the combination thereof with age to predict the presence of CPI scores of 3-4 and 4 was assessed using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: CPI scores of 3-4 and 4 were present among 79.7% and 46.5% of the sample, respectively. The area under the ROC curves (AUROCs) of salivary hemoglobin levels for predicting prevalence of CPI scores of 3-4 and 4 were 0.63 and 0.67, respectively (with sensitivity values of 71% and 60% and specificity values of 56% and 72%, respectively). Two distinct sets of five questions were associated with CPI scores of 3-4 and 4, with AUROCs of 0.73 and 0.71, sensitivity values of 76% and 66%, and specificity values of 63% and 69%. The combined model incorporating both variables and age showed the best predictive performance, with AUROCs of 0.78 and 0.76, sensitivity values of 71% and 65%, and specificity values of 68% and 77% for CPI scores of 3-4 and 4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of salivary hemoglobin levels and self-report questionnaires was shown to be a valuable screening method for detecting periodontitis.