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BACKGROUND: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a major global health issue affecting millions of children. Mitigating this problem requires up-to-date information from reliable surveillance systems. This enables evidence-based decision-making to devise oral health policies. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates the adoption of mobile technologies in oral disease surveillance because of their efficiency and ease of application. The study describes developing an electronic, oral health surveillance system (EOHSS) for preschoolers in Egypt, using the District Health Information System (DHIS2) open-source platform along with its Android App, and assesses its feasibility in data acquisition. METHODS: The DHIS2 Server was configured for the DHIS2 Tracker Android Capture App to allow individual-level data entry. The EOHSS indicators were selected in line with the WHO Action Plan 2030. Two modalities for the EOHSS were developed based on clinical data capture: face-to-face and tele/asynchronous. Eight dentists in the pilot team collected 214 events using modality-specific electronic devices. The pilot's team's feedback was obtained regarding the EOHSS's feasibility in collecting data, and a time-motion study was conducted to assess workflow over two weeks. Independent t-test and Statistical Process Control techniques were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The pilot team reported positive feedback on the structure of the EOHSS. Workflow adaptations were made to prioritize surveillance tasks by collecting data from caregivers before acquiring clinical data from children to improve work efficiency. A shorter data capture time was required during face-to-face modality (4.2 ± 0.7 min) compared to telemodality (5.1 ± 0.9 min), p < 0.001). The acquisition of clinical data accounted for 16.9% and 21.1% of the time needed for both modalities, respectively. The time required by the face-to-face modality showed random variation, and the tele-modality tasks showed a reduced time trend to perform tasks. CONCLUSIONS: The DHIS2 provides a feasible solution for developing electronic, oral health surveillance systems. The one-minute difference in data capture time in telemodality compared to face-to-face indicates that despite being slightly more time-consuming, telemodality still shows promise for remote oral health assessments that is particularly valuable in areas with limited access to dental professionals, potentially expanding the reach of oral health screening programs.
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Time and Motion Studies , Humans , Egypt , Child, Preschool , Dental Caries/prevention & control , Dental Caries/epidemiology , Oral Health , Health Information Systems , Population Surveillance/methods , Mobile Applications , Male , Female , Pilot Projects , Feasibility StudiesABSTRACT
AIM: The study was performed to compare the mandibular resection guide with a directional guidance slot with the conventional guide regarding three-dimensional positional accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with lateral segmental mandibular defects were selected, and randomly allocated into two groups. All defects were managed with preoperative virtual surgical planning. Resection in the test group was conducted using a resection guide with a directional guidance slot, while a conventional resection guide design was utilized in the control group. The linear and angular deviation of the osteotomy planes was analyzed for both groups, along with the accuracy of the insertion of the reconstruction bone block in the resected defect. Data were documented, absolute deviation was calculated, statistical analysis was performed and significance was set at the 5% level. RESULTS: The cases conducted with a directional guidance templet reported a statistically significant difference when compared to the conventional edge-cutting guide regarding the linear and angular spatial osteotomy plane position (P < 0.001). The defect span analysis reported excellent levels of agreement in both groups (ICC = 1.00, ICC = 0.995), however, the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the enhanced positional accuracy of the resection plane and reconstruction block placement when a directional slot is incorporated in the computer-generated resection guide.
Subject(s)
Mandible , Surgery, Computer-Assisted , Humans , Female , Male , Surgery, Computer-Assisted/methods , Mandible/surgery , Adult , Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods , Osteotomy/methods , Osteotomy/instrumentation , Middle AgedABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the global scholarly production of articles related to temporary anchorage devices (TADs) from 1998-2023 in peer-reviewed dental journals indexed in the Web of Science. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A database of TADs-related articles was created via a Web of Sciences structured search. The bibliometric characteristics of the studies, including the number of citations, publication year, journal title, journal impact factor (IF), authorship, contributing institutions and countries, thematic field, and study design, were extracted. Keyword co-occurrence network analyses and the correlation between the number of citations and the article age, journal IF, and journal quartile of each article were performed. RESULTS: The top 50 cited articles were published from 1999-2016, and the total number of citations ranged from 82-602, with 160.36 citations/paper on average. Most of the articles originated from Japan (nâ¯= 12), with the most remarkable contributions from Nihon and Okayama Universities, Japan (nâ¯= 5, each). The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics had the most cited articles, with 196.57 citations/paper on average. A significant positive correlation occurred between the number of citations and publication age (rhoâ¯= 0.392, Pâ¯= 0.005). CONCLUSION: Our scientometric analysis reported the characteristics of TADs-related articles published over 25 years. Most highly-cited articles were published between 2005 and 2008. The positive correlation between articles' publication date and the number of citations might impact the top 50 within the next 5-10 years.
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Bibliometrics , Humans , Orthodontic Anchorage Procedures/instrumentation , Journal Impact Factor , Periodicals as Topic/statistics & numerical data , InternationalityABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the segmentation accuracy and reliability of free software packages and compared them with commercial alternatives. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 36 stone models were scanned using a desktop scanner and then imaged by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The CBCT volumes were segmented using 2 free software packages (3D Slicer and Blue Sky Plan) and 2 commercial software packages (Mimics and OnDemand3D). Stereolithography (STL) files generated by the desktop scanner were used as the control group (reference models). The accuracy of segmentation was evaluated by (1) comparing 6 linear measurements taken from each STL model generated by the 4 software packages with that obtained by the scanner, and (2) deviation analysis of each STL model generated by the 4 software packages with that obtained by the scanner. Absolute error and percentage error, repeated measures anova and Friedman test followed by post hoc analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Pearson's r were used to evaluate the accuracy of the tested software packages. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in all intra-arch measurements obtained using the four software packages. Measurements obtained using the free software packages and the scanner showed excellent positive correlation, ranging from 0.825 to 0.988, confirming equivalence with commercial software packages. CONCLUSION: Within the settings of the current study, accurate and time-saving segmentations with high positive correlation could be performed using the tested free segmentation software packages (3D Slicer and Blue Sky Plan). Nevertheless, further evaluation is necessary to gage their accuracy using different CBCT modalities.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clear aligners-related posts are popularized on social media platforms to educate patients and peers and to market aligners in dental practices. This study aimed to characterize the account credentials and content of the top-performing posts to understand the spread of clear aligners-related information on Instagram. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional web-based study analysed 13 Instagram clear aligners-related hashtags. Content analysis was performed for the "Top 10 posts" listed under the "Top" section for each hashtag within Instagram, as sorted by Instagram's algorithm. Data were analysed for the poster's background, credentials, role, post format, content, and engagement level ratio. Duplicate posts and those not relevant to clear aligners were excluded. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the collected data were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 29 192 596 posts mentioned the selected hashtags, of which 130 posts were screened in this study. Most posts were authored by dentists (n = 84), 79.8% of them were orthodontic specialists. Self-promotional posts comprised 90.2%, while educational posts accounted for only 8.9%. Interestingly, the number of likes and comments received on posts by patients (n = 19, median = 112, IQR = 340) was significantly higher than those posted by dentists (n = 84, median = 93, IQR = 81.75) (P = .004). CONCLUSION: More than 29 million posts about clear aligners were identified on Instagram. Orthodontists are the leading authors of aligners hashtags. However, the majority of the posts are self-promotional and have nonfactual information. Social media awareness among orthodontic specialists may help provide more evidence-based content about clear aligners and can act as an interactive networking and health communication platform.
Subject(s)
Orthodontic Appliances, Removable , Social Media , Humans , Cross-Sectional StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The maternal diet is essential to offspring development, but the specific effects on tooth morphology are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of altering maternal calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) supplementation during gestation and lactation on offspring dentition. METHODS: Pregnant mice were fed an experimental diet containing a threefold increase in Ca and a threefold decrease in P compared to the standard mouse chow diet at embryonic Day 0.5 (E0.5). Offspring mice were maintained on standard or experimental diets from post-natal Day 0 to weaning, then fed control diets until 6 weeks of age. Six-week-old offspring heads were collected and scanned using micro-computed tomography. Dental morphometrics of offspring maxillary and mandibular first and third molars (n = 5-6 per diet/per sex) were determined. A two-way ANOVA test was employed to verify the existence of any significant differences between groups. The significance level was set at P < .05. RESULTS: A two-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant interaction between the effects of diet and sex on the upper and lower dentition. Moreover, experimental diet-fed female offspring exhibited smaller molars with shorter mesiodistal width and larger pulp chambers relative to controls, while experimental diet-fed male offspring possessed larger molars with wider mesiodistal width and smaller pulp chambers. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that altering the maternal and offspring dietary Ca:P ratio during gestation, lactation and weaning led to significant, sex-specific changes in the offspring dentition. The differences in dentition appeared to be correlated with the sex-specific changes in the craniofacial skeleton.
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INTRODUCTION: Competitive swimmers spend considerable time practicing their sport. Prolonged exposure to chlorinated water can alter salivary parameters and might compromise oral health. This study aimed to determine erosive tooth wear status and its related risk factors among competitive swimmers as compared to non-swimmers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study consisting of 180 athletes (90 competitive swimmers versus 90 competitive rowers "non-swimmers") was conducted. Participants were interviewed on the common erosion risk factors. The Basic Erosive Wear Examination system was used to assess the status of erosive tooth wear. Stimulated saliva sample was collected before and after a training session and pool pH was evaluated using pH strips for 7 days. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental erosion was significantly higher among competitive swimmers (60%) with higher BEWE scores compared to non-swimmers (25.6%). The salivary flow rate was reduced significantly after training sessions in both groups while salivary pH increased among swimmers. Evaluation of pool water revealed a continuous reduction in the pH level, reaching a very acidic pH level of 3.24. CONCLUSION: Erosive tooth wear is more prevalent among competitive swimmers. Years of practice and regular consumption of acidic drinks increase the odds of developing erosive lesions. A high incidence of erosive lesions may be attributed to a reduction in swimming pool pH level. Salivary parameters showed variations between groups after training sessions.
Subject(s)
Tooth Erosion , Tooth Wear , Humans , Tooth Erosion/epidemiology , Tooth Erosion/etiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Egypt/epidemiology , Tooth Wear/epidemiology , Prevalence , Acids , WaterABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of a single labial infiltration of 4% articaine versus 2% lidocaine for the extraction of mandibular anterior teeth without an additional lingual injection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized-controlled, split-mouth clinical study was implemented. Healthy adult patients seeking bilateral extraction of mandibular anterior teeth were included in this study. Teeth extractions were randomly assigned to two equal groups, where one mandibular anterior tooth was extracted using a solitary labial infiltration of either 4% articaine (the study group) or 2% lidocaine (the control group). After 14 days, the other mandibular anterior tooth was extracted using the other local anesthetic agent. The selection of the anesthetic agent injected in the first session was done in a randomized fashion. After 5 min of local anesthetic injection, the tooth was extracted, and each patient was asked to record the intensity of the extraction pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included in the study. The efficacy of a single labial injection for mandibular anterior teeth extraction was established by the fact that none of the patients in the study or control group required re-administration of local anesthesia. The mean VAS for pain control during tooth extraction was 1.16 ± 0.93 for the articaine group and 1.71 ± 0.90 for the lidocaine group. The pain score showed a statistically significant decrease in the articaine group compared to that in the lidocaine group (P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Although the anesthetic effects of only buccal infiltration of 4% articaine and 2% lidocaine for extraction of mandibular anterior teeth were comparable, the use of 4% articaine would have more effective and predictable outcomes. CLINICALTRIALS: ORG: (ID: NCT05223075) 3/2/2022.
Subject(s)
Anesthesia, Local , Carticaine , Adult , Humans , Lidocaine/therapeutic use , Anesthetics, Local/therapeutic use , Prospective Studies , Mouth , PainABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of virtual surgical planning for mandibular reconstruction, along with the implementation of a postoperative evaluation methodology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is a prospective case series for computer-assisted mandibular reconstruction surgery. Analysis of the degree of agreement between virtual measurements and postoperative actual outcomes was performed. The reliability of the proposed evaluation methodology was assessed and analyzed using the Inter-Class Coefficient (ICC) test. Statistical significance was set at the 5% level. RESULTS: Nine consecutive patients were selected. The analysis of all angular and linear parameters reported a highly statistically significant degree of agreement between the preoperative and postoperative measurements (P < 0.001). Furthermore, an extreme degree of reliability was reported when the evaluation methodology was scrutinized (ICC = 0.9). CONCLUSION: The excellent degree of agreement between the virtual plan and the actual outcome reported in this study validated the surgical accuracy of virtually assisted mandibular reconstruction. This study pointed out the reliability and reproducibility of the standardized evaluation protocol in an attempt to obtain a tolerable value for the acceptable postoperative results regarding the accuracy of computer-assisted surgery.