Unlocking the Potential: Investigating Dental Practitioners' Willingness to Embrace Artificial Intelligence in Dental Practice.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant promise for transforming healthcare delivery, including dentistry. However, the successful integration of AI into dental practice necessitates an understanding of dental professionals' perspectives, attitudes, and readiness to adopt AI technology. This study aimed to explore dental professionals' perceptions, attitudes, and practices regarding AI adoption in dentistry. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 dental professionals using an online questionnaire. Participants were assessed for familiarity with AI technology, perceived barriers to adoption, attitudes towards AI, current usage patterns, and factors influencing adoption decisions. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Inferential statistics, such as chi-square tests and regression analysis, were employed to examine associations between variables and identify predictors of AI adoption in dentistry. RESULTS: The study surveyed 256 dental professionals from various regions across India, primarily aged 30 to 50 years (mean age: 42.6), with a nearly equal gender split (male: 48.4%, female: 51.6%) and high educational attainment (67.8% with master's or doctoral degrees). Private practices were predominant (56.3%). The diagnostic algorithms and treatment planning software were well known (77.3% and 70.3% familiarity, respectively). Technical concerns (average score: 3.82 ± 0.68) were the main barriers to AI adoption, followed by financial considerations (average score: 3.45 ± 0.72), ethical and legal issues (average score: 3.21 ± 0.65), and organizational factors (average score: 3.67 ± 0.71). Despite these concerns, most participants had positive attitudes towards AI (70.3% agreed). Current usage varied, with diagnostic support and administrative tasks being the most common (44.5% and 82.8% usage, respectively). Perceived utility (average score: 4.12 ± 0.75) and ease of use (average score: 3.98 ± 0.69) significantly influenced adoption, as identified by regression analysis (perceived utility: ß = 0.342, p < 0.001; ease of use: ß = 0.267, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insights into AI adoption in dentistry, highlighting the multifaceted nature of barriers and facilitators that influence dental professionals' adoption decisions. Strategies to promote AI adoption should address practical considerations, ethical concerns, and educational needs to facilitate the integration of AI technology into dental practices.

In Vitro Anti-diabetic Activity of Pomegranate Peel Extract-Mediated Strontium Nanoparticles.

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its associated health complications represent a significant public health issue due to its wide prevalence. The primary disadvantages of current oral anti-diabetic drugs are their limited bio-availability and their quick release, which necessitates more frequent dosing. Similar limitations are encountered when using natural products for the management of type 2 diabetes. Consequently, nanoparticles have been developed with the goal of enhancing the physicochemical stability of the drugs, thereby improving their bio-availability. In view of the given background, the present study aimed to explore the efficacy of strontium nanoparticles derived from pomegranate peel extract in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods The aqueous extract of pomegranate peel was prepared using standard protocol and the strontium nanoparticles were prepared by green synthesis method using pomegranate peel extract. The prepared aqueous extract of pomegranate peel and the nanoparticles were assessed for their inhibitory potential against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes activity by 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) and p-nitro-phenyl-ɑ-D glucopyranoside (p-NPG) assays, respectively. Results The pomegranate peel-mediated strontium nanoparticles (PP-Sr NPs) and standard acarbose were assessed for their inhibitory effect against diabetic enzymes, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase at different concentrations range of 5-160 µg/ml. The results showed that PP-Sr NPs exhibited a maximum inhibition of 79.28% and 76.17% against α-amylase and α-glucosidase respectively at the highest concentration of 160 µg/ml. Acarbose showed a maximum inhibition of 88.02% and 84.47% against α-amylase and α-glucosidase respectively at 160 µg/ml. The inhibitory effect of the PP-Sr NPs and standard acarbose was found to be concentration-dependent. Conclusion From the results, it is concluded that the PP-Sr NPs may be useful for decreasing postprandial glucose levels. Further studies using in vitro cell lines and in vivo diabetic models may substantiate the antidiabetic potential of PP-Sr NPs.

Synthesis, Characterization, and In V ivo Toxicological Evaluation of Copper (II) Oxide Containing Herbometallic Siddha Nanocomplex "Thamira Parpam".

"Thamira parpam" (TP), a copper-based herbometallic oxide (copper (II) oxide) nanodrug has been used in Siddha medicine for centuries because of its anti-ulcerogenic property. However, the physicochemical properties and in vivo toxicity of TP still remain elusive. Rigorous clinical translation requires deciphering these vital properties. We have synthesized TP following a gold standard protocol in the traditional Siddha methodology. We assessed the size, phase, elemental constituents, and thermal stability of TP by SEM and TEM, XRD, EPR, and EDAX analyses, respectively. The results depicted the conversion of metallic copper into copper (II) oxide in the final stages of TP preparation and exhibited nanodimensions ranging between 10 and 50 nm. The XPS spectra revealed the presence of oxygen-deficient state and a carbonaceous coating was found on the surface of TP using TEM analysis. In vivo safety was studied in rat toxicity models by adopting OECD guidelines. Body weight changes, feed, and water intake were unaltered upon TP administration. Hematological, biochemical profiling, and histopathological findings also suggested its nontoxic nature with no abnormalities in major organs and its functions. Interestingly, we found that the metal toxicity could have been subdued because of the carbonaceous coating around the nanoparticle copper (II) oxide, confirming that the drug is safe at a low dose. Overall, our study has enlightened the safety of TP supporting the use of Siddha formulations.