Carina Balcoş

Dr. Carina Balcoş

UMF Grigore T Popa Iasi, Iaşi, Romania
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

13Years (2014-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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23 March 2025 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
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Oana Maria ButnaruOana Maria Butnaru
Oana Maria Butnaru
Monica TatarciucMonica Tatarciuc
Monica Tatarciuc
Ionut LuchianIonut Luchian
Ionut Luchian
TTTeona Anamaria Tudorici
Teona Anamaria Tudorici
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
DHDANISIA Haba
DANISIA Haba
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in healthcare, including dental and periodontal diagnostics, due to its ability to analyze complex datasets with speed and precision. Backgrounds and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of AI-assisted dental–periodontal diagnoses compared to diagnoses made by senior specialists, specialists, and general dentists. Material and Methods: A comparative study was conducted involving 60 practitioners divided into three groups—general dentists, specialists, and senior specialists—along with an AI diagnostic system (Planmeca Romexis 6.4.7.software). Participants evaluated six high-quality panoramic radiographic images representing various dental and periodontal conditions. Diagnoses were compared against a reference “gold standard” validated by a dental imaging expert and senior clinician. A statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0, applying chi-square tests, ANOVA, and Bonferroni correction to ensure robust results. Results: AI’s consistency in identifying subtle conditions was comparable to that of senior specialists, while general dentists showed greater variability in their evaluations. The key findings revealed that AI and senior specialists consistently demonstrated the highest performance in detecting attachment loss and alveolar bone loss, with AI achieving a mean score of 6.12 in identifying teeth with attachment loss, compared to 5.43 for senior specialists, 4.58 for specialists, and 3.65 for general dentists. The ANOVA highlighted statistically significant differences between groups, particularly in the detection of attachment loss on the maxillary arch (F = 3.820, p = 0.014). Additionally, AI showed high consistency in detecting alveolar bone loss, with comparable performance to senior specialists. Conclusions: AI systems exhibit significant potential as reliable tools for dental and periodontal assessment, complementing the expertise of human practitioners. However, further validation in clinical settings is necessary to address limitations such as algorithmic bias and atypical cases. AI integration in dentistry can enhance diagnostic precision and patient outcomes while reducing variability in clinical assessments.

13 August 2021 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
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Dana gabriela BudalaDana gabriela Budala
Dana gabriela Budala
Elena-Raluca BaciuElena-Raluca Baciu
Elena-Raluca Baciu
DVDragoș Ioan Virvescu
Dragoș Ioan Virvescu
AAAdina Oana Armencia
Adina Oana Armencia
SMScutariu Mihaela Monica
Scutariu Mihaela Monica
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
Background and objectives: This paper is a sequel to the studies that focused on the optimization of the structure of classical acrylates with vitamin B12 as a template and their impact on patients’ general and local health. In this context, we aim to investigate the relationships between attitudes and behavior regarding oral health, oral health status, and quality of life related to oral health in the case of patients with conventional dentures and those with dentures improved with vitamin B12. Material and Methods: The sample size was estimated from previous studies, and 252 participants were enrolled and divided into two groups, one of which received as a treatment complete dentures with B12, and the other group was represented by complete edentulous patients treated with conventional complete dentures. The impact of oral health in general on patient satisfaction and quality of life was assessed using Oral Health Impact Profile OHIP-14 questionnaires. The descriptive statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Differences registered between the two groups were statistically significant in all evaluated dimensions. The largest differences were recorded for physical, psychological, and social disability as well as for the level of disability, all in favor of denture B12 wearers. Conclusions: The materials used in the treatment of complete edentation can be a future research direction that can not only improve their mechanical strength but can contribute to maintaining the superior health of the oral mucosa and can also be a way of transporting substances necessary for the normal development of the metabolism of the whole body, such as vitamin B12 in our case.

12 August 2024 in Materials
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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NONicolae Daniel Olteanu
Nicolae Daniel Olteanu
Ionut TaraboantaIonut Taraboanta
Ionut Taraboanta
Tinela PanaiteTinela Panaite
Tinela Panaite
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
SRSorana Nicoleta Rosu
Sorana Nicoleta Rosu
Irina nicoleta ZetuIrina nicoleta Zetu
Irina nicoleta Zetu
This study aimed to compare the color changes in two different orthodontic clear aligner systems after submersion in various beverages for 14 days. The tested aligner systems were Taglus Premium made of polyethylene terephthalate glycol (the TAG group) and CA® Prodin+ made of a transparent copolyester and a thermoplastic elastomer (the PRO group). A total of 56 samples were firstly divided into two groups according to the tested system—TAG and PRO. Each group was subsequently divided in four subgroups according to immersion solution: A—artificial saliva, B—cola, C—coffee, D—red wine. Color measurements were performed on Days 1, 7 and 14 using a portable colorimeter and the CIE L*a*b* system. The obtained results showed significant color changes in both materials when exposed to coffee and red wine (p > 0.05). Samples in the PRO group showed a greater susceptibility to discoloration (higher ΔE values) when compared to the TAG group after submersion in cola (p = 0.025), coffee (p = 0.005) and red wine (p = 0.041) solutions. Statistical analysis revealed that all of the color parameters ΔL*, Δa*, Δb* and ΔE of both tested materials were affected by submersion in coffee solution for 14 days. In conclusion, the CA® Pro+ aligner system is more prone to staining compared to the Taglus material after submersion for 14 days in cola, coffee and red wine solutions. Submersion for 14 days in coffee solution alters all of the color parameters (ΔL, Δa, Δb and ΔE) of both tested aligner materials.

29 December 2022 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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WHWalid Edlibi Al Hage
Walid Edlibi Al Hage
CDCristina Gena Dascalu
Cristina Gena Dascalu
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
DADoriana Agop-Forna
Doriana Agop-Forna
Forna NorinaForna Norina
Forna Norina
Aims and Objectives: To investigate the trends in access to dental services among adults from the N-E region of Romania and to evaluate the factors that influence access to dental care. Material and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the access and utilization of dental care among a sample of adults. We collected data on their demographic characteristics, their type of medical insurance, their monthly income, the type of dental office they visited, their reasons for choosing a certain type of dentist office, and their oral hygiene habits. It was found that their financial status determined by the occupation of the individual, as well as their monthly income, influenced their access to medical services. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Of a total of 696 participants, 55.6% were female, 83.3% were from urban areas, 42.1% were retired, 62.3% of the subjects utilized dental emergency services, and 67.9% of the subjects self-funded their treatment. The reasons for women not attending dental offices included costs (24.3%) and dental fear (9.8%), while men’s reasons were high costs (26.4%) and lack of time (5.9%). Significant differences were recorded between gender and reasons for visiting the dentist (p = 0.018), payment for dental services (p = 0.009), and preferred clinic (p = 0.010). In relation to occupation, there were significant differences for most of the variables evaluated (reasons to visit a dentist, payment for dental services, preferred dental clinic, self-rated oral health, etc.). Conclusions: Gender, occupation, and monthly income levels were found to influence access to dental medicine services of Romanians in the N-E region. Dental services were frequently accessed for emergency reasons. Dental services were found to be paid for by state insurance for those with low monthly incomes and self-funded for those with higher monthly incomes.

9 September 2022 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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FBFlorinel Cosmin Bida
Florinel Cosmin Bida
DADoriana Agop-Forna
Doriana Agop-Forna
BBBogdan Petru Bulancea
Bogdan Petru Bulancea
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
Forna NorinaForna Norina
Forna Norina
There is a lack of information regarding the oral health of the elderly population in Romania; only a few articles have been published about their edentulism, and there are no official data regarding the oral health, OHRQoL, and prosthodontic status of this population. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the essential functional qualities of removable partial dentures (RPD) and participants’ oral-health-related wellbeing among an edentulous population from the N-E region in Romania using the OHIP-5-questionnaire. In total, 546 patients from Gr. T. Popa Iasi University were enrolled after following a set of sorting procedures. We used the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney test to determine whether there were significant differences between the various groups of patients. For questions 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the OHIP, the null hypothesis was rejected, as there were statistically significant differences between the three groups. This study was limited to a specific group. However, it can provide an insight into RPD patients’ happiness when treated in an academic environment.

16 March 2023 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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Dana gabriela BudalaDana gabriela Budala
Dana gabriela Budala
CBCarina Balcoş
Carina Balcoş
AAAdina Oana Armencia
Adina Oana Armencia
DVDragoș Ioan Virvescu
Dragoș Ioan Virvescu
CLCostin Iulian Lupu
Costin Iulian Lupu
Ionut LuchianIonut Luchian
Ionut Luchian
Significant changes in the microstructure of the brain cause dementia and other mental declines associated with aging and disease. Although research has established a connection between oral health and dementia, the underlying pathologic mechanisms are still unknown. Aim: Our aim was to evaluate dentures’ impact on the cognitive state of geriatric patients. Material and methods: A total of 108 individuals seeking treatment at the Faculty of Dental Medicine in Iasi, Romania, participated in the study, which ran from May 2022 to October 2022. Cognitive dysfunction was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. The acquired data were analyzed with IBM SPSS 26.0, and the p-value was set at 0.05. Results: The average value of the MMSE score was 21.81 ± 3.872. Differences between groups of wearer/non-wearer subjects were statistically significant for most of the questions in the questionnaire. Linear regression analysis showed that individuals with a high MMSE score have prosthodontic treatment. A decrease in the MMSE score is associated with a decrease in masticatory efficiency (B = 1.513, p = 0.268). Conclusions: This study provides further evidence that tooth loss is associated with worse cognitive performance. It is thus conceivable that the necessary effects can be achieved by increasing the efforts dedicated to preventing tooth loss in the adult population.