Oral health is a very important aspect of general health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children with special healthcare needs. It is important to provide appropriate oral care in order to promote quality of life and good health for everyone, especially for children with special healthcare needs. Method: We reviewed the recent literature to collect knowledge regarding the delivery of quality oral care to children with special healthcare needs. We also explored some of the treatment management options that could address the needs of these children when attending dental clinics. Result: Unfortunately, we noted significant inequalities with issues related to oral health among those children. This situation often results in limitations to the activities of daily living for these children. There is therefore a need for much-needed advancements and refinements in oral healthcare to address the needs of children who have special healthcare needs. Conclusions: Providing children with special healthcare needs with high-quality dental care may necessitate active liaisons with healthcare facilitators and will require work across professions to make certain that these children’s oral health is also prioritized. Coordinated efforts by dental professionals are needed to provide dental health education and preventive interventions for these children.

Evaluation of the quality of dental information produced by the ChatGPT artificial intelligence language model within the context of oral surgery, preventive dentistry, and oral cancer. This study adopted quantitative methods approach. The experts prepared 50 questions (including dimensions of, risk factors, preventive measures, diagnostic methods, and treatment options) that would be presented to ChatGPT, and its responses were rated for their accuracy, completeness, relevance, clarity or comprehensibility, and possible risks using a standardized rubric. To carry out the assessment of the responses by ChatGPT, a standardized scoring rubric was used. Evaluation process included feedback concerning the strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas of improvement in the responses provided by ChatGPT. While achieving the highest score for preventive dentistry at 4.3/5 and being able to communicate the complex information coherently, the tool showed lower accuracy for oral surgery and oral cancer, scoring 3.9/5 and 3.6/5, respectively, with several gaps for post-operative instructions, personalized risk assessments, and specialized diagnostic methods. Potential risks, such as a lack of individualized advice, were shown in 53% of the oral cancer and in 40% of the oral surgery. While showing promise in some domains, ChatGPT had important limitations in specialized areas that require nuanced expertise. The findings point to the need for professional supervision while using AI-generated information and ongoing evaluation as capabilities evolve, for the assurance of responsible implementation in the best interest of patient care.

The quest for the most precise and non-invasive technology to monitor the pubertal growth spurt is driven by the role of growth determination in orthodontics. The objective of this study was to estimate the levels of salivary insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX1), and to analyze whether the levels of these biomarkers vary among different chronological age groups with and without periodontal disease. Eighty participants were divided into three groups based on their chronological age: group 1: 6–12 years; group 2: 13–19 years; and group 3: 20–30 years. The assessed clinical parameters included the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and community periodontal index (CPI). Using ELISA kits, the IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX1 levels in the saliva samples were estimated. The salivary concentration of IGFBP-3 was significantly associated with age and gender (p < 0.01). However, no significance was observed between subjects with and without periodontal disease. Significant associations existed between the values of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and CTX1 in saliva among subjects from the various chronological age groups. Estimation of salivary IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 could serve as a useful tool in the assessment of growth maturity and bone remodeling patterns during orthodontic treatment planning.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing worldwide health concern, and non-adherence to antibiotic medication is a crucial factor in its growth. The objective of this research was to assess the adherence of dental patients in Saudi Arabia to oral antibiotic therapy, their knowledge of AMR, and their precise antibiotic prescription. Methodology: From February 2023 to July 2023, a descriptive quantitative study was conducted among 450 outpatient dental patients who had obtained antibiotic prescriptions from dentists in the previous year. The questionnaire included three elements: knowledge of AMR, antibiotic usage behavior, and demographic information. Results: During the study, it was found that only 3.6% of participants showed complete adherence to antibiotic therapy; 34% showed adherence to antibiotic therapy to a moderate extent, while 62.3% exhibited low adherence. Statistically significant relationships were established between age and income, and patients’ adherence levels, with considerably lower adherence among the younger and the patients with lower income. Despite 72.5% admitting the importance of appropriate use of antibiotics, 68.8% said they had stopped taking the antibiotic medication once they started to feel better, and 35.3% used lower prescribed doses. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that the level of adherence to antibiotic prescription among dental patients in Saudi Arabia is low, and this is of great concern to AMR. It is hereby imperative to tackle the elements that lead to nonadherence to maintain the efficacy of antibiotics and protect public health. Healthcare stakeholders can achieve AMR reduction and optimal patient outcomes by implementing focused interventions and public health efforts.

Robust evidence-based guidelines are important in everyday clinical practice, especially when delivering and managing oral care needs to a vulnerable group such as children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs). Methods: To assess the quality of guidelines on the management of oral care for children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs) and to find appropriate guidelines, an electronic search of MEDLINE Ovid was carried out alongside an additional search of common guideline websites. The AGREE II tool was used to assess the quality of the guidelines. Assessment was undertaken independently by three assessors. Furthermore, the underlying evidence used to formulate recommendations in the identified guidelines was qualitatively assessed. Results: There were nine guidelines, with 41 recommendations, that met the eligibility criteria. The quality of the guidelines was generally found to be poor. Only one guideline was assessed as “recommended” by the assessors, based on the quality of the methods, the reporting, or both. Only 2 of the 41 sets of recommendations, made across the nine guidelines, were judged to be valid and based on a rigorous systematic review of the evidence. Conclusions: The current state of guidelines on oral care management for children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs) is, on the whole, of very low quality. The scientific community should work together to enhance the quality and strength of the current clinical guidelines and to ensure that they are trustworthy prior to implementation.

Oral cavity procedures are essential for maintaining or improving oral health. In England and Wales, many factors affect these procedure trends. This study aimed to examine trends in oral cavity procedures in England and Wales from 2014 to 2023. This ecological study used main procedures and intervention data from the Patient Episode Database for Wales and the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England. The total annual number of procedures decreased by 30.1%, representing a 33.6% decrease in procedure rate from 633.67 (95% confidence interval: 631.63–635.72) in 2014 to 421.05 (95% confidence interval: 419.42–422.67) in 2023 per 100,000 person-years, trend test, P < .05. The most prevalent oral cavity procedures were “tooth and gingiva-related procedures” and “procedures related to tonsil and other parts of the mouth.” Rates of all types of oral cavity procedures decreased from 2014 to 2023. Age and gender impacted the rate of oral cavity-related procedures; the 15- to 59-year age group accounted for 54.3% of the oral cavity procedures, and females contributed 53.6%. Oral cavity procedure trends were declining in England and Wales. Factors such as advancements in intervention and practical preventive approaches, the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and demographic inequalities in access to these services have been associated with these declines.