Effect of morality or capitalist ideology in choosing dentistry as a career in Türkiye: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have provided important findings on the profession of dentistry and the motivators for choosing dentistry. This study has attempted to contribute to this accumulation by using a sociocultural perspective and interpreting the relationships among motivators from this perspective in a large Turkish sample. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivates dental students to choose dentistry as a career in Türkiye. METHODS: First-year dental students from different dental schools were included in a descriptive cross-sectional study. The questionnaire included sections covering demographics, motivators and career satisfaction. A total of 919 students from 29 different state dental schools and four private dental schools participated. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, means and standard deviations were used to summarize the sociodemographic information and the distribution of the motivators. Factorial analysis was carried out for the structural status of the questionnaire items. The relationships between the motivators were analyzed using Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Among the 919 students, 64.2% were female, and 35.8% were male. Half of them chose dentistry after seeing their higher education institution's examination results, while the other half had already considered it a career during their preuniversity years. Communicating with people, artistic skills, and helping others were the main motivators for students to choose dentistry as a career in Türkiye, and students' overall career satisfaction was moderately high. The strongest correlations were between communication with people and benefits (r =.74), between communication with people and helping others (r =.71), between communication with people and artistic skills (r =.66), between artistic skills and benefits (r =.69), between artistic skills and helping others (r =.65), between dental experience and benefits (r =.51), between dental experience and helping others (r =.50), and between benefits and helping others (r =.71). CONCLUSION: Helping others, artistic skills, communicating with people, and benefits were the most important factors motivating dental students to choose a career, and positive relationships were detected between these four factors. This information may help to develop more effective career guidance and mentorship strategies for dental students.

Long-term evaluation of masseter muscle activity, dimensions, and elasticity after orthognathic surgery in skeletal class III patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in the masseter muscle after orthognathic surgery using electromyography (EMG), ultrasonography (US), and ultrasound elastography (USE) in individuals with skeletal class III anomaly over long-term follow-up and compare with a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group included 29 patients with class III dentofacial deformities scheduled to undergo orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery. The control group included 20 individuals with dental class I occlusion. Assessment of the masseter muscles using EMG, US, and USE was performed before orthognathic surgery (T1) and at postoperative 3 months (T2) and 1 year (T3) in the study group, and at a single time point in the control group. All assessments were performed at rest and during maximum clenching. Masseter muscle activity, dimension, and hardness were analyzed. RESULTS: Electromyographic activity of the masseter muscle during maximum clenching was increased at postoperative 1 year but did not reach control group values. On ultrasonography, the masseter muscle showed minimal changes in dimension at postoperative 1 year compared to preoperative values and remained below control group values. The postoperative increase in masseter muscle hardness at rest and during maximum clenching persisted at postoperative 1 year. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that after orthognathic surgery, additional interventions and much longer follow-up are needed to ensure better muscle adaptation to the new occlusion and skeletal morphology. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: All assessment methods are useful for comprehensively evaluating changes in the masticatory muscles after orthognathic surgery.

Degenerative changes of the mandibular condyle in relation to the temporomandibular joint space, gender and age: A multicenter CBCT study.

BACKGROUND: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is used to provide multiplanar views of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) bone components as well as TMJ pathologies without superposition, magnification or distortion. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to analyze degenerative changes in the condylar surface, and their relationship with patient age and gender, and the TMJ space measurements by using CBCT images. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 258 individuals were retrospectively analyzed. The degenerative bone changes of the condylar head were evaluated and classified on the right and left sides. The shortest distances from the anterior, superior and posterior parts of the condylar head to the glenoid fossa were measured to represent the TMJ space. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses then evaluated the effect of age and gender on the presence of degenerative changes. RESULTS: Condylar flattening was most frequently observed (413 TMJs, 53.5%). However, the presence or absence of the change types did not differ according to the sides. The mean values of the TMJ space measurements on the right and left sides were narrower in the group with changes than in the group without changes. Nonetheless, no statistically significant difference in the TMJ space was found between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An increased risk of radiographically detectable degenerative alterations in left TMJs was detected for males and for increasing age. Degenerative changes in the condylar surface may affect the dimensions of the TMJ space.

Is it possible to reveal a typical swallowing pattern for specific skeletal malocclusion types using M-mode sonographic imaging of tongue movements?

PURPOSE: The present study aims to compare the M­mode ultrasound findings of different skeletal malocclusions and to evaluate whether sonographic parameters can be used for the diagnosis of malocclusions. METHODS: Tongue movements of 36 adolescents aged between 10.37 and 17.29 years (mean 14.25 ± 1.78 years) were assessed using simultaneous two-dimensional real-time B­mode and M­mode sonography. The swallowing patterns of the subjects were visualized recording the motion of the tongue surface in the ultrasound images utilizing a fixed scan line through the middle of the tongue. M­mode scans of tongue motion during empty deglutition were recorded. The parameters range, duration, and speed were computed for the entirety of the swallowing process using M­mode examination. Findings were evaluated and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: No clear intraindividual repeatability in the M­mode imaging of the subjects' swallowing process could be observed. Considering the setup used in the study, it was not always possible to distinguish individual swallowing stages in the M­mode images with regard to the chosen reference points. The average duration, range of motion, and speed of swallowing were found to be 2.43 s, 24.06 mm, and 10.34 mm/s, respectively. The findings showed both intra- and intersubject variability during empty swallowing. CONCLUSION: With the help of the metrics that could be calculated based on the M­mode images, it was not possible to differentiate the swallowing acts of different skeletal malocclusion types. It remains unclear whether M­mode imaging can accurately visualize the swallowing pattern. Therefore, further progress in technology and multidisciplinary work is needed in order to establish diagnostic references regarding swallowing.

Performance of a convolutional neural network algorithm for tooth detection and numbering on periapical radiographs.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of a Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) algorithm for tooth detection and numbering on periapical images. METHODS: The data sets of 1686 randomly selected periapical radiographs of patients were collected retrospectively. A pre-trained model (GoogLeNet Inception v3 CNN) was employed for pre-processing, and transfer learning techniques were applied for data set training. The algorithm consisted of: (1) the Jaw classification model, (2) Region detection models, and (3) the Final algorithm using all models. Finally, an analysis of the latest model has been integrated alongside the others. The sensitivity, precision, true-positive rate, and false-positive/negative rate were computed to analyze the performance of the algorithm using a confusion matrix. RESULTS: An artificial intelligence algorithm (CranioCatch, Eskisehir-Turkey) was designed based on R-CNN inception architecture to automatically detect and number the teeth on periapical images. Of 864 teeth in 156 periapical radiographs, 668 were correctly numbered in the test data set. The F1 score, precision, and sensitivity were 0.8720, 0.7812, and 0.9867, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the potential accuracy and efficiency of the CNN algorithm for detecting and numbering teeth. The deep learning-based methods can help clinicians reduce workloads, improve dental records, and reduce turnaround time for urgent cases. This architecture might also contribute to forensic science.

Electromyographic, Ultrasonographic, and Ultrasound Elastographic Evaluation of the Masseter Muscle in Class III Patients Before and After Orthognathic Surgery.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine changes in the electromyographic activity, thickness, width, and hardness of the masseter muscle from before to after orthognathic surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 15 patients with Class III dentofacial deformities who were treated with combined orthodontic and orthognathic surgery. Fifteen individuals with normal occlusion and no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction were used as controls. All records were obtained bilaterally in the study group before surgery (T1), at 3 months after surgery (T2), and in the control group (CG) while at rest and in maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). RESULTS: There was no difference in resting masseter muscle activity between T1, T2, and CG. Resting thickness and width of the masseter muscle did not differ significantly between T1 and T2. MVC masseter muscle activity and thickness increased significantly and width decreased significantly from T1 to T2 but did not reach CG values. Muscle hardness increased from T1 to T2. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' findings indicate that despite improved muscle activity and dimensions, postoperative 3 months is still early period for adaptation of the masseter muscles to the new occlusion and skeletal morphology.

Evaluation of a metal artifact reduction algorithm and an optimization filter in the estimation of peri-implant dehiscence defects by using cone beam computed tomography: an in-vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm and the adaptive image noise optimizer (AINO) optimization filter in the detection of peri-implant dehiscences with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). STUDY DESIGN: Nine implants (3 zirconium, 3 titanium, and 3 zirconium-titanium) were placed in 3 sheep heads. Dehiscences were created on the buccal and lingual/palatal surfaces. A total of 9 defects and 9 controls with no defects were evaluated by 3 observers. Each sheep head was scanned 5 times with 4 scan modes; (1) without MAR/without AINO; (2) with MAR/without AINO; (3) without MAR/with AINO; and (4) with MAR/with AINO. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and weighted kappa coefficients were used to calculate diagnostic efficacy and intra- and interobserver agreements for each implant type and scan mode. RESULTS: For all implant types, dehiscences were most accurately detected when both MAR and AINO were applied (P ≤ .045). Detection of dehiscences was more accurate with titanium implants (P ≤ .040). There were no significant differences in agreement among and between the observers. CONCLUSIONS: The use of both MAR and AINO enhanced the detection accuracy of artificially created dehiscences in proximity to implants. Their combined use is recommended for detecting peri-implant dehiscences.

Morphology and morphometry of the foramen venosum: a radiographic study of CBCT images and literature review.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to assess the morphological variations, location, and morphometric measurements of the foramen venosum (FV) and analyse its interrelationships with other foramina on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. METHODS: A total of 269 individual CBCT scans were evaluated retrospectively. The presence or absence of FVs and their diameter, shape, and confluence to foramen ovale were recorded. The distances between anatomic structures and the FV were calculated. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed for the collected data. RESULTS: Of the 269 cases studied, nine were excluded due to duplicate foramina that made statistical analysis difficult. In the 260 evaluated scans, the FV was identified in 190 individuals (73.1%). The incidence was 148 (56.9%) on the right side and 152 (58.5%) on the left side. The FV was present unilaterally in 80 (30.8%) and bilaterally in 110 (42.3%) out of the 260 individuals. The mean maximum diameter of FV was 1.75 ± 1.27 mm, and no significant differences related to gender and age were detected (p < 0.05). The most prevalent foramen shape was the oval type (45.9% on the right side and 40.8% on the left side). CONCLUSION: FV is a very frequent anatomical variation. This foramen can exist either bilaterally or unilaterally. No significant differences related to sex, side, or age could be found in the present study. The anatomic characteristics of FV should be considered during interventions in the middle cranial fossa. CBCT imaging with lower radiation doses and thin slices may prove useful before surgical skull-base procedures.

Evaluation of mallear ligaments in different voxel resolutions using cone beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVES:: The aim of this study was to assess the visibility of discomallear ligament and anterior mallear ligament together with anatomical morphometric measurements of petrotympanic fissure, and to determine whether the mallear ligaments correlate with the bone compartment changes of temporomandibular joint. METHODS:: Cone beam CT images of 275 patients were evaluated retrospectively. The visibility of discomallear and anterior mallear ligaments were evaluated by two observers. The petrotympanic fissure was classified into four groups. Morphologic features of petrotympanic fissure and mandibular fossa were also measured in sagittal, axial and three-dimensional cone beam CT reconstructed images. Pearson's χ2 test and Student's t-test were performed for statistical analysis of differences voxel sizes, age, gender, localization, temporomandibular joint and measurements (p < 0.05). Intra- and interobserver reliability was also performed. RESULTS:: Type 3 petrotympanic fissure was more frequent in male, whereas females showed Type 1 and Type 2 petrotympanic fissure structures (p < 0.05). Anterior mallear ligament visibility on cone beam CT images was statistically higher in bone compartment changes of temporomandibular joint. In cone beam CT images, petrotympanic fissure tunnel types 1, 2, 3 and 4 were seen in 11.5, 35.63, 51.34 and 1.53% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:: Knowledge of the anatomy may help in identifying temporomandibular joint pain and auditory symptoms due to temporomandibular disorder. Further cross-sectional studies with larger populations are needed to investigate the physiopathological relation of both disorders.

Comparison of Cone Beam Computed Tomography and ultrasonography with two types of probes in the detection of opaque and non-opaque foreign bodies.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of intra-oral and extra-oral ultrasonographic (US) examinations performed with linear and convex probes in the detection of opaque and non-opaque foreign bodies (FBs) located in the maxillofacial area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen different type of FBs were inserted into a sheep's head: a) on the external bone surface of mandible (between the mandibular corpus and masseter muscle), b) in the intrinsic muscular tissue (in the dorsum of the tongue) and c) in the hollow structures (into the maxillary sinus of the sheep's head). The FBs in muscle tissue were scanned intra-orally whereas FBs in bone external bone surface of mandible and in maxillary sinus were scanned both intra-orally and extra-orally. The sensitivity of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and US imaging methods in detection of FBs were compared for FBs on the bone surface and in the muscular tissue. RESULTS: The intra-observer kappa coefficients provided identical values of 0.236 for the extra-oral convex probe, 0.461 for the intra-oral linear probe for overall FBs detection, which indicated notably poor to fair intra-observer agreement. The inter-observer agreement showed a poor agreement for the extra-oral use of linear probe (0.341 and 0.393) and extra-oral use of convex probe (0.319 and 0.335), However, a fair agreement was determined for use of probe intra-orally (0.530 and 0.534). Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of the CBCT was higher than the US regarding the visualization of FBs in the bone tissue. CONCLUSION: US with a linear probe should be the first choice for the detection of the low-radiodensity FBs, which are entrapped in the soft tissue. However, CBCT is a more sensitive technique for the visualization of FBs in air and bone tissue compared to the US, particularly for the diagnosis of high-radiodensity FBs.