Fostersheppard1523

The aim of this review is to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on various aspects of dental care.

The COVID-19 pandemic had suspended dental practice globally for over 3 months. While dental practice is being resumed cautiously, standard infection control protocols that were traditionally overlooked are now being strictly implemented. Post-COVID-19, dental care is expected to see a drastic change in the way it is practiced.

With a view on the natural history and disease dynamics of COVID-19, this review reports various aspects of dental care, viz., patient triaging, engineering and work practice controls, and administrative, financial, and ethical aspects of dental care during and after COVID-19 pandemic. Current evidence-based recommendations with regard to infection-control practices are discussed. A call for universal oral health care with suggestions regarding integration of medical and health care is also proposed.

COVID-19 is expected to be a watershed moment in the field of dentistry. While eficiency virus epidemic. Due to these pandemics, many regulatory organizations have provided safety recommendations and guidelines that impact the dental practice. Currently, we are faced with a highly infective disease with a high mortality rate among people with comorbidities and of predominantly droplet transmission and no concrete safety recommendations and guidelines. This manuscript addresses multiple issues, gaps, and pragmatic solutions in controlling transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in dental settings, during and after the pandemic.

With advancements in science and technology, there has been phenomenal developments in the application of neural networks in dentistry. This systematic review aimed to report on the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) applications designed for endodontic diagnosis, decision-making, and prediction of prognosis.

Studies reporting on AI applications in endodontics were identified from the electronic databases such as PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, for original research articles published from January 1, 2000, to June 1, 2020. A total of 10 studies that met our eligibility criteria were further analyzed for qualitative data. QUADAS-2 was applied for synthesis of the quality of the studies included.

A wide range of AI applications have been implemented in endodontics. The neural networks employed were mostly based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) in their neural architectures. These AI models have been used for locating apical foramen, retreatment predictions, prediction of periapical pathologies, detection and diagnosis of vertical root fractures, and assessment of root morphologies.

These studies suggest that the neural networks performed similar to the experienced professionals in terms of accuracy and precision. In some studies, these models have even outperformed the specialists.

These models can be of greater assistance as an expert opinion for less experienced and nonspecialists.

These models can be of greater assistance as an expert opinion for less experienced and nonspecialists.

The study aimed to assess the efficacy of using WhatsApp instant messages in enhancing the oral hygiene in patients with gingivitis.

Forty-three systemically healthy male dental patients with gingivitis were recruited consecutively and randomly divided into two groups WhatsApp group (

= 24) and a control group (

= 19). At baseline visit, the participants were educated and motivated about oral health and given a folio on instructions about the oral hygiene preventive measures. The participants in the study group further received WhatsApp messages about the dental care at weekly intervals throughout the study (3 months). Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were measured at baseline and after 1 and 3 months.

The averages of PI and GI were not significantly different between both groups at any time point of measurement (baseline, after one, and three months;

value >0.05). Intragroup comparisons revealed that the reductions in PI were highly significant after 1 and 3 months (-0.26 ± 0.26 and -0.57 ± 0.35, respectively, for WhatsApp group, and -0.24 ± 0.27 and -0.64 ± 0.4. respectively, for the control group;

value range 0.001 to <0.001). Similar were the reductions in GI in each individual group (-0.17 ± 0.46 and -0.67 ± 0.05, respectively, for WhatsApp group, and -0.28 ± 0.29 and -0.69 ± 0.41, respectively, for the control group

value < 0.001).

Implementing WhatsApp instant messages does not appear to add extrabenefit to the traditional motivation and education on oral hygiene practices in terms of changes in PI and GI over time in patients with gingivitis.

Although the results were not motivating, this does not preclude the dental professionals from using WhatsApp and the similar technology to deliver oral healthcare advices.

Although the results were not motivating, this does not preclude the dental professionals from using WhatsApp and the similar technology to deliver oral healthcare advices.

The present study was undertaken for assessing plasma osteocalcin levels, status of oral disease, and alteration in mandibular bone density in postmenopausal women (PMW).

In all, 80 premenopausal women and 80 PMW were enrolled. For analyzing the oral dryness, clinical score of oral dryness (CSOD) on a scale of up to 10 was used. Complete dental profiling of all the patients was done. Digital panoramic radiographs were taken for all the patients. Bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated by measuring the following parameters mandibular cortical index (MCI), panoramic mandibular index (PMI), mandibular cortical width (MCW), and fractal dimension (FD). Pomalidomide Osteocalcin levels were evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. All the results were recorded and analyzed.

Mean osteocalcin levels of PMW (453.12 ng/mL) were significantly higher in comparison to the premenopausal women (249.28 ng/mL). Postmenopausal women had significantly higher CSOD and number of peri-apical radiolucencies in comparison to premenopausal women.