The current study aims to investigate the utilization of an analytic rubric system to assess the performance of preclinical dental students in executing ro

Background: Medical and dental students face significant psychological challenges due to rigorous academic demands and clinical responsibilities, which often lead to depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS). The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened these issues internationally, and Saudi Arabia (SA) is not an exclusion. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of DAS among Saudi Arabian medical and dental students and determine significant socio-demographic and academic factors affecting their psychological well-being especially post worldwide pandemics. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among Saudi Arabian medical and dental students in July and August 2021. An online survey that included demographic information and the depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21) scale was used to gather data. It was disseminated nationwide via university emails and academic platforms. A total of 715 students participated in the survey, of whom 550 were dental students and 165 were medical students. Statistical analysis, including ordinal regression, was carried out using SPSS to assess the relationships between mental health outcomes and characteristics including study field, academic phase, and geography. Data were documented and statistically analyzed, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 for all parameters and tests. Cronbach’s alpha scores for all DASS-21 subscales were more than 0.87, confirming the instrument’s reliability. Results: The prevalence rates of stress, anxiety, and depression were 88.5%, 67.3%, and 51.3%, respectively. Medical students reported higher levels of extreme stress (38.2%) and anxiety (42.4%) than dental students (30.4% and 24.7%, respectively). Medical students reported considerably higher stress in their clinical phase compared with their counterparts in preclinical phase. Preclinical dental students showed higher anxiety and depression than clinical students. Socio-demographic characteristics such as living conditions and region showed significant differences (p < 0.05), while gender and marital status exhibited no significant differences. Conclusion: This study reveals a high prevalence of psychological distress among medical and dental students in Saudi Arabia, particularly clinical medical and preclinical dental students. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address academic stress and enhance mental well-being, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts to support students’ mental health and resilience.

Cervical root resorption is a rare destructive disease that originates from the external cervical root surface. It has a multifactorial etiology. Cervical root resorption may affect several teeth and its treatment can be complicated due to the size, location, and extension of the resorptive defect. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that has systemic effects. The objective of this article was to report a rare case of multiple idiopathic cervical resorptions in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. A 52-year-old male patient with a 20-year history of rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed with multiple idiopathic cervical resorptions through cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and clinical examination. All known causes for cervical resorption were ruled out after a detailed anamnesis. This report details inflammation due to rheumatoid arthritis as a possible cause of idiopathic cervical resorption. The systemic alterations wrought by rheumatoid arthritis could be related to the etiopathogenesis of cervical root resorption. Non-surgical endodontic treatment was done for the maxillary left canine. The defect was surgically repaired using bioceramic putty. The 12-month recall revealed the good healing of the periodontal and periradicular conditions with no obvious clinical symptoms. At the 36-month recall visit, clinical and radiographic evidence of deterioration in the repair material was observed. At the 54-month follow-up, deterioration of repair material was observed with an increase in the extension of resorption in tooth 14 was detected. Reasons for this deterioration remain unclear. Ruling out all other factors for cervical root resorption, how rheumatoid arthritis contributes to cervical root resorption is still lacking/unclear. Dental care providers must be vigilant for signs of cervical root resorption in vulnerable patients with rheumatoid arthritis for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Keywords: External root resorption, Inflammatory markers, Multiple root resorption, Rheumatoid arthritis, Resorption repair.

Background: Canines play crucial roles in arch development, dental esthetics, and occlusal function, and Variations in root canal morphology can considerably impact root canal treatment outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the root and root canal anatomy of canine teeth by using Vertucci’s classification and the prevalence of impacted canines in a Saudi subpopulation. Materials and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 416 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were analyzed using Vertucci’s classification, and information related to sample characteristics, canal configurations. and impaction of the mandibular and maxillary permanent canine teeth were recorded. In addition, data, such as gender, arch, side of the CBCT, classification type of canal anatomy, and presence of impacted canines, were collected. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used for data analysis, and the chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 1664 maxillary and mandibular canine teeth (51.9% from females) were screened in this study. Nearly 94.7% of the canine had a single canal, and 98.6% had a single root. Maxillary and mandibular canines with the type I configuration were the most prevalent (98.6% and 90.9%, respectively), and those with the type V configuration was the least prevalent (0.2% and 3.1%, respectively). The prevalence of the type I root canal configuration was higher in the maxillary canines (98.6%) than in the mandibular canines (90.9%) and significantly higher in males (95.8%) than in females (93.8%; p = 0.002). The prevalence of single-rooted canines in the mandibular arch was significantly higher in males (99.0%) than in females (95.8%; p = 0.005). Similarly, the overall prevalence of single-rooted canines was significantly higher in males (99.5%) than in females (97.7%; p = 0.002). In the mandibular arch, the prevalence of the single-canal configuration was significantly higher in males (93.5%) than in females (88.4%; p = 0.011). The prevalence of impacted canines was 7.9% and higher in the maxillary arch (7.0%) and males (8.5%). Conclusions: Canines with the type I canal configuration was the most prevalent in both arches and higher in the maxillary arch. The type I configuration and single-rooted canines in the mandibular arch and both arches were more prevalent in males. The prevalence of impacted canines was found to be 7.9%, with a higher occurrence in males and maxillary arches. Keywords: root canal morphology CBCT Vertucci's classification impacted canines Saudi population

Background/Objectives: Vertical root fractures (VRFs) present significant diagnostic challenges due to their subtle radiographic features and variability across imaging modalities. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential to improve detection accuracy, yet evidence regarding its performance across different imaging systems remains fragmented. To critically evaluate current evidence on AI-assisted detection of VRFs across periapical radiography, panoramic radiography, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to compare diagnostic performance, methodological strengths, and limitations. Methods: A systematic review of literature up to January 2025 was carried out using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The studies included in this review utilized AI-based techniques for detecting VRF through periapical, panoramic, or CBCT imaging. Extracted data encompassed study design, AI models, dataset sizes, preprocessing methods, imaging parameters, validation techniques, and diagnostic metrics. The risk of bias in these studies was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 tool. Results: Ten studies met inclusion criteria; CNN-based models predominated, with performance highly dependent on imaging modality. CBCT-based AI systems achieved the highest diagnostic accuracy (91.4–97.8%) and specificity (90.7–100%), followed by periapical radiography models with accuracies up to 95.7% in controlled settings. Panoramic radiography models demonstrated lower sensitivity (0.45–0.75) but maintained high precision (0.93) in certain contexts. Most studies reported improvements over human performance, yet limitations included small datasets, heterogeneous methodologies, and risk of overfitting. Conclusions: AI-assisted VRF detection shows promising accuracy, particularly with CBCT imaging, but current evidence is constrained by methodological variability and limited clinical validation.

Introduction: Self and staff assessments represent a recent approach to evaluating preclinical performance, though not yet widely adopted. This preliminary study aimed to compare faculty assessments with student self-assessments of root canal treatment (RCT) quality and evaluate the influence of gender on assessment accuracy across rubric parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated dental students ( N = 40; 20 males, 20 females) in their final practical examination for the preclinical endodontic course on a single-canal maxillary anterior tooth. Three blinded faculty assessors evaluated student performance by using a validated rubric across access cavity preparation and working length determination (5 points), cleaning and shaping (5 points), and obturation (5 points), for a total of 15 points. Statistics: Scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Friedman’s test compared scores among the three faculty and self-assessments, followed by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for pairwise comparisons. Spearman’s correlation coefficient assessed the relationship between faculty and student scores. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Male students reported significantly higher self-assessments (median = 9.13) than faculty assessments (median = 8.92), with P = 0.017. No significant difference was found in cleaning and shaping ( P = 0.858), but a notable discrepancy was observed in obturation ( P = 0.091). For female students, no significant difference was found between faculty assessments (median = 9.00) and self-assessments (median = 8.75), with a P = 0.171. Self-assessments exhibited a positive correlation, with ratings from the first faculty ( r = 0.454), the third faculty (r = 0.346), and the average ratings ( r = 0.360). Faculty ratings demonstrated strong internal consistency, with all inter-faculty correlations exceeding r = 0.640. Conclusion: The findings suggest that self-assessment accuracy in RCT skills is influenced by gender, with male students more likely to overestimate their abilities.