The ADEPT study: a comparative study of dentists' ability to detect enamel-only proximal caries in bitewing radiographs with and without the use of AssistDent artificial intelligence software

Introduction Reversal of enamel-only proximal caries by non-invasive treatments is important in preventive dentistry. However, detecting such caries using bitewing radiography is difficult and the subtle patterns are often missed by dental practitioners.Aims To investigate whether the ability of dentists to detect enamel-only proximal caries is enhanced by the use of AssistDent artificial intelligence (AI) software.Materials and methods In the ADEPT (AssistDent Enamel-only Proximal caries assessmenT) study, 23 dentists were randomly divided into a control arm, without AI assistance, and an experimental arm, in which AI assistance provided on-screen prompts indicating potential enamel-only proximal caries. All participants analysed a set of 24 bitewings in which an expert panel had previously identified 65 enamel-only carious lesions and 241 healthy proximal surfaces.Results The control group found 44.3% of the caries, whereas the experimental group found 75.8%. The experimental group incorrectly identified caries in 14.6% of the healthy surfaces compared to 3.7% in the control group. The increase in sensitivity of 71% and decrease in specificity of 11% are statistically significant (p <0.01).Conclusions AssistDent AI software significantly improves dentists' ability to detect enamel-only proximal caries and could be considered as a tool to support preventive dentistry in general practice.

A mulher no ensino superior em odontologia no Brasil

This article discusses the situation of female teachers in Dental Schools of Brasil, analyzing the information gained in order to propose new studies in that way. The result of the study is a young, single and assistants teacher's population, the majority works in pedodontics and social preventive dentistry and they did not have obstacles to work at the University.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Behaviors of Parents towards Care of Primary Dentition – A Cross Sectional Study

Aims: The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice behaviors of parents towards care of the primary dentition of children in Wardha city, India. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry, Sharad Pawar Dental College & Hospital, Duration- One year Methodology: A questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted among parents of 3-7 year old children who visited the Department of Pedodontics & Preventive dentistry. The self-administered, close-ended questionnaire was adopted from oral health literature [Rwakatema et al 2009] and was modified based on researcher’s knowledge and experience of the issues under study. The first part of the questionnaire included the demographic details while the second part comprised of 25 items to test knowledge, attitude and practices of parents. Data was collected by a single investigator who distributed the questionnaire, allowed enough time to fill it and collected on the spot after they had completed. Results: Majority of parents (69%) had good knowledge about importance of milk teeth. 87% of parents were aware that oral health affects the overall general health of child. However, Bedtime bottle-feeding and sharing of spoons with the child was reported by 54% and 77% of the study participants respectively. Conclusions: The majority (57.9%) of the study population had good knowledge pertaining to oral health. However, their practices towards the oral health of children were not satisfactory. Therefore, there is a need to improve oral health care practices by conducting awareness programs for parents.

Assessing Vitamin E and Glutathione Peroxidase Levels in Salivary Samples of Children with and without Dental Caries

Introduction: Multiple factors influence the initiation and progression of caries. Recent research has revealed that free radicals can be a prime cause of several inflammatory oral pathologies, including dental caries by direct or indirect influence on the salivary constituents like disease mediated free radicals and antioxidants. Aim: The aim of the present study was comparative evaluation of Vitamin E and Glutathione Peroxidase levels with the prevalence of dental caries in a group of school-going children. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional clinical study was conducted in Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, SIBAR Institute of Dental sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India from November 2016 to November 2018. Hundred children aged between 6-12 years were selected and divided into two groups i.e., caries active group (n=50) and caries-free group (n=50). Children having at least five decayed teeth were considered as caries active and children with DMFT/deft score 0 were considered as caries-free group. A 2 mL of unstimulated saliva was collected from all the subjects and the levels of Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) and Vitamin E were evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. Obtained imbibing values were subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired t-test and SPSS Version 21.0 software. The p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 100 participants 52 were males and 48 were females. The mean age of the study participants was 10.21±1.4 years. Significant reduction in GPx (p<0.001**) and Vitamin E (p<0.05*) were noticed in caries active group when compared to the caries free group. Conclusion: GPx and Vitamin E levels showed an inverse relationship with the presence of dental caries. Thus these antioxidant levels can be used as biomarkers to assess the oral as well as general health. Caries activity can also be measured by these salivary factors which might be helpful in preventive dentistry.