Detection of the Fixed Prostheses on Panoramic Images: An Artificial Intelligence Based Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of using YOLO-v5x in detecting fixed prosthetic restoration in panoramic radiographs. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkiye from November 2022 to April 2023. METHODOLOGY: For the labelling of fixed prosthetic restorations, 8,000 panoramic radiographs were evaluated using the YOLO-v5x architecture. In creating the dataset for this study, fixed prosthetic restorations were categorised as dental implant, pontic, crown, and implant-supported crown on dental panoramic radiographs. The labelled images were then randomly split into three groups: 80% for training, 10% for validation, and 10% for testing. The labelled panoramic images constituted the model's training dataset, and leveraging the knowledge acquired during this learning stage, the model generated predictions in the testing phase. RESULTS: The majority of labelling data were dedicated to crown restorations. The precision and sensitivity values of YOLOv5x were 0.99 and 0.98 for crowns, 0.98 and 0.99 for implants, 0.99 and 0.99 for pontics, and 0.99 and 0.99 for implant-supported crowns, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study demonstrate a satisfactory success rate of YOLO-v5x in detecting dental prosthetic restorations. The high precision and sensitivity of the model indicate its strong potential to enhance clinical professional performance and contribute to the development of more efficient dental health services. KEY WORDS: Artificial intelligence, Dentistry, Dental prosthesis, Panoramic radiography.

Dental patients' tinnitus profile: prevalence, types, and associated factors with oral and maxillofacial diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Maxillofacial diseases may pose a risk factor for the onset of tinnitus, and may influence the severity of its symptoms. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of tinnitus among patients routinely visiting the Faculty of Dentistry and to assess the relationship between tinnitus and maxillofacial diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted on 3,626 patients. Demographic data, information on tinnitus symptoms, temporomandibular disorder (TMD) presence, the existence of trigger points in masticatory muscles, toothache, and bruxism were evaluated. RESULTS: Tinnitus was detected in 385 patients, resulting in a prevalence rate of 10.61%. Of the patients, 38.4% were male and 61.6% were female, and the mean age was 42.66 ± 16.34 years. Tinnitus was categorised as normal in 47.8% of the patients and pathological in 52.2% of the patients. Bruxism was identified in 65.5% of the patients, toothache in 42.9%, TMD in 33.8%, and masticatory trigger points in 27.0% of the patients. A tendency towards tinnitus provoked by toothache was observed in 5.9% of the patients. The presence of pathological tinnitus was found to increase the risk by 1.839 times for toothache and 1.456 times for bruxism. CONCLUSION: There may be an association between oral and maxillofacial diseases and tinnitus, especially bruxism and toothache. Therefore, the evaluation of these conditions may be a routine part of tinnitus management.

Evaluation of major salivary glands with ultrasonography in multiple sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the homogeneity of the major salivary glands in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using ultrasonography (USG), assess DMFT indices, measure resting salivary flow rates, and compare these values with healthy individuals. METHODS: In this study, 20 individuals diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) (mean age 36.15 ± 8.51) and 20 systemically healthy individuals (mean age 35.7 ± 9.22) were included. Oral and radiologic examinations were performed in all individuals. The parotid and submandibular salivary glands were examined using USG, and their homogeneity was assessed based on the scoring system recommended by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) study group. Resting salivary flow rates and DMFT indices were measured, and the obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The parotid glands exhibited more heterogeneity on USG within the MS patient group than the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.015). A statistically significant correlation was observed in total homogeneity values between the patient and control groups (p = 0.021). Furthermore, the MS patient group exhibited higher DMFT indices and lower salivary flow rates than the control group. The difference between the DMFT indices and salivary flow rate between the patient groups was statistically significant (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The parenchyma of the major salivary glands in MS patients exhibited decreased homogeneity than the healthy controls. Additionally, the MS group showed a decrease in salivary flow rate and an increase in the DMFT index. Autonomic dysfunction and medications used for MS are thought to cause salivary gland hypofunction and dry mouth. It can be interpreted that hyposalivation and motor skill losses in MS patients lead to an increase in DMFT index.