The use of ChatGPT in the field of health has recently gained popularity. In the field of dentistry, ChatGPT can provide services in areas such as, dental education and patient education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality, readability and originality of pediatric patient/parent information and academic content produced by ChatGPT in the field of pediatric dentistry. A total of 60 questions were asked to ChatGPT for each topic (dental trauma, fluoride, and tooth eruption/oral health) consisting of pediatric patient/parent questions and academic questions. The modified Global Quality Scale (the scoring ranges from 1: poor quality to 5: excellent quality) was used to evaluate the quality of the answers and Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level were used to evaluate the readability. A similarity index was used to compare the quantitative similarity of the answers given by the software with the guidelines and academic references in different databases. The evaluation of answers quality revealed an average score of 4.3 ± 0.7 for pediatric patient/parent questions and 3.7 ± 0.8 for academic questions, indicating a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Academic questions regarding dental trauma received the lowest scores (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in readability and similarity between ChatGPT answers for different question groups and topics (p > 0.05). In pediatric dentistry, ChatGPT provides quality information to patients/parents. ChatGPT, which is difficult to readability for patients/parents and offers an acceptable similarity rate, needs to be improved in order to interact with people more efficiently and fluently.

The use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for dentomaxillofacial diagnostics in pediatric dentistry is expanding and concerns have been raised about the radiation risks associated with this imaging modality, especially for children. Dentomaxillofacial paediatric imaging: an investigation towards low-dose radiation induced risks (DIMITRA) is a multidisciplinary project focused on optimizing CBCT exposure for children and adolescents. This study aims to clarify the indications behind CBCT scans in children aligned with DIMITRA’s recommendations. For each CBCT examination, data were collected on patient age at the time of the CBCT examination, gender, reason for request, referring department, CBCT-requested region, and the field of view (FOV) dimension of imaging. The CBCT indications were categorized under six headings according to an adaptation of the DIMITRA project recommendations: impacted teeth, dentoalveolar trauma, orofacial clefts, dental anomalies, bone pathology, syndromes. Indications not categorized in DIMITRA were recorded below the heading “other”. The most common indication was the “other” category (34.8%), which included implant, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, orofacial anomalies, foreign object and root canal morphology. The least common indication was “orofacial cleft” (1.9%) and no requests were made for cases related to syndromes. Detection of supernumerary tooth in dental anomalies (68.6%) was the most common CBCT indication, while dentigerous cysts (37.6%) were among the most common CBCT indication in bone pathologies and orofacial anomalies (68.1%) in the other category. The most common size was External Center (15 × 15 cm) (27%) and the least common size was Both Arches/small (8 × 8 cm) (0.4%) when the CBCT FOV was analysed. Although the option of a smaller FOV size was available, the larger FOV size that included the both jaws were most frequently used. When justifying CBCT requests, patient-specific radiation dose risks should be considered and specific guidelines should be followed.

Different educational methods play an important role in oral hygiene education programs. This study aims to evaluate the impact of various educational methods on the oral hygiene knowledge of primary school children. A total of 490 primary school students participated in this cross-sectional study. The students were assigned to one of three groups: a verbal explanation group, an animation group, or a peer-led reels group. Before and after the intervention, the students completed questionnaires assessing their oral hygiene knowledge. A significant increase was observed in the post-educational knowledge levels of the children in three educational methods (p < 0.001). The study found that the main effect of educational methods was statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, effects of gender, and tablet/mobile phone use, respectively, were not statistically significant (p = 0.694, p = 0.641). The animation group (6.73) and the verbal expression group (6.57) had the highest post-training knowledge levels, respectively, while the peer-led reels group had the lowest (5.95) (p < 0.001). All three educational methods are effective in promoting oral hygiene, but due to the accessibility and consumption of information in the current technological era, animation videos may be more useful and suitable for modern education. ID: NCT06569745; Date: 21.08.2024; ‘retrospectively registered’.

Aim: Dentists play an important role in identifying signs of child abuse and neglect and reporting them to the appropriate authorities. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of a group of dental students in the Central Black Sea region about child abuse and neglect. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study includes dental students from the Faculty of Dentistry at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, enrolled during the 2023-2024 academic year. An online survey consisting of 28 questions was administered to dental students who agreed to participate, covering demographic information and assessing their knowledge level regarding child abuse and neglect. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA. Results: A total of 266 (70.4%) students aged between 18 and 25 participated in this study. Among the dental students reported that 10.2% suspected child abuse and neglect, while 9.8% stated that they would prefer to report when they suspect such cases. While 58.6% of dental students believed that child abuse and neglect should be reported legally, 60.9% stated that they may not report suspected cases due to the possibility of making a misdiagnosis. While the impact of gender on dental students' knowledge levels regarding child abuse and neglect was not observed, the effect of academic year was significant (p

Objective: Dental fear and anxiety describe negative feelings towards the dental environment, particularly significant in pediatric dentistry due to their cognitive, behavioral, and physical impacts on children. Managing this anxiety through positive dentist-child relationships and behavioral guidance techniques is crucial. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of passive distraction using music and Bach flower remedy in reducing dental fear and anxiety in children aged 6-8 years. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical study included 12 children (n=4 for each group) aged 6-8 years, randomly assigned to Group 1 (control), Group 2 (Bach flower remedy), or Group 3 (passive distraction with music) for treating superficial dentin caries in primary teeth without local anesthesia. Dental fear and anxiety levels were assessed using objective (heart rate, oxygen saturation, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and subjective (Facial Image Scale and Venham’s Picture Test) measures before and after treatment. Results: The study included 12 children (6 female, 6 male) with a mean age of 7.3±0.8 years. In Group 2, heart rate significantly decreased after treatment (97.8 ± 10.1 to 90.5 ± 8.8, p.05). Conclusion: In this study, although passive distraction with music and Bach flowers did not have a significant effect on physiological and projective measurement tools in children with dental fear and anxiety, a decrease in heart rate was observed in children exposed to Bach flowers.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate tooth development according to chronological age in children with tooth agenesis and to determine whether the severity of tooth agenesis (hypodontia and oligodontia) has an effect on tooth development. Methods: In this retrospective study, the records of children diagnosed with hypodontia and oligodontia referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry between January 1, 1999 and January 1, 2018 were examined. The control group was matched with children diagnosed with oligodontia and hypodontia in terms of age and gender. A total of 288 children aged between 6-15 years were included in the study and the control, hypodontic and oligodontic groups were formed as Group I, Group II and Group III, respectively. Chronologic age was calculated and Haavikko’s method was used for dental age. The difference between chronological and dental ages was analyzed by ANOVA test and Tukey test was used for multiple comparisons. Results: There was a difference was determined between groups I and III in dental age determined by Haavikko’s method (p<0.05). When the difference between chronological age and dental age determined, it was found that in Group I, II, III, dental age was 0.71, 1.17, 1.88 years behind respectively chronological-age and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: In this study, delayed tooth development was observed in children with oligodontia compared to children without tooth agenesis. Keywords: Age Determination by Teeth; Forensic Dentistry; Tooth Agenesis Selective Nahir and Kirzioglu Contemp Pediatr Dent 2023:4(2):69-75 DOI: 10.51463/cpd.2023.164 Published Online: 10 Aug 2023