Background/Objectives: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT has developed rapidly in recent years, and in the medical field, its usefulness for diagnostic assistance has been reported. However, there are few reports of AI use in dental fields. Methods: We created 20 questions that we had encountered in clinical pediatric dentistry, and collected the responses to these questions from three types of generative AI. The responses were evaluated on a 5-point scale by six pediatric dental specialists using the Global Quality Scale. Results: The average scores were >3 for the three types of generated AI tools that we tested; the overall average was 3.34. Although the responses for questions related to “consultations from guardians” or “systemic diseases” had high scores (>3.5), the score for questions related to “dental abnormalities” was 2.99, which was the lowest among the four categories. Conclusions: Our results show the usefulness of generative AI tools in clinical pediatric dentistry, indicating that these tools will be useful assistants in the dental field.

The presence of a supernumerary tooth is one of the most common dental anomalies, and surgical treatment is often required to address this anomaly. Moreover, it may lead to malocclusion, and long-term follow-up is important to monitor its status. A 4-year-and-11-month-old boy was referred to our hospital for dental caries treatment. At 5 years and 5 months of age, a radiographic examination showed a supernumerary tooth (first supernumerary tooth) near the permanent maxillary left central incisor, and it was extracted 6 months later. Eighteen months after the extraction of the first supernumerary tooth, a new supernumerary tooth (second supernumerary tooth) was detected in the same region, which was extracted when the patient was aged seven years and seven months. Seven months later, another supernumerary tooth (third supernumerary tooth) was detected and extracted immediately. However, the permanent maxillary left central incisor did not erupt spontaneously even after 6 months. Therefore, surgical exposure was performed, and the central incisor erupted into the oral cavity. This report describes our experience with this patient with three metachronous supernumerary teeth and their management until the eruption of the permanent tooth. This report highlights the importance of long-term follow-up after supernumerary tooth extraction until the permanent teeth in that region have erupted completely.

Background: Congenital absence of teeth is a major dental abnormality in pediatric dentistry and the absence of six or more teeth is defined as oligodontia. Few reports of patients with non-syndromic oligodontia without systemic disease have continued dental follow-up from an early age. Methods: We performed the five-year follow-up from before the eruption of the primary dentition of a Japanese child with non-syndromic oligodontia and analyzed changes in dental arch growth. Results: At the oral examination at the age of 1 year and 2 months, eight primary incisors were congenitally absent. Therefore, we made dentures for the patient at the age of 3 years and 4 months. From the age of 5 years and 1 month, the child received articulation training for dysarthria from a speech therapist to improve the function and appearance of the oral cavity. Measurement of the patient’s dental models revealed a particularly narrow dental arch, especially between the primary canines. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of treatment for patients with non-syndromic oligodontia from an early age by multiple medical professionals, recognizing that the missing teeth affect the growth of the maxillofacial region.

Hemophilia is a congenital disorder associated with impaired blood clotting. Routine dental intervention to prevent oral bleeding in patients with hemophilia is considered important, but its effectiveness remains unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of continual dental support on periodontal status and oral health habits in young patients with hemophilia. Of the 168 young patients with hemophilia who visited our clinic for 5 years, we selected subjects who had visited annually since 2015 and were in the mixed and permanent dentitions. To evaluate the periodontal status of these subjects, Community Periodontal Index (CPI) values in the molars and anterior teeth were measured. In addition, a questionnaire regarding oral health habits, including floss use, frequency of brushing by parents, and attending a family dentist, was administered to the subjects and their parents. In the patients with mixed dentition, the CPI values for the upper right molars and lower left central incisor decreased significantly in later years compared with the first year (p < 0.05). In the patients with permanent dentition, only one year recorded a significant decrease in CPI values compared with the first year (p < 0.05), localized in the upper right molars. The results of the questionnaire revealed that continual dental support improved dental floss use and the frequency of brushing by parents only in the mixed dentition group. Furthermore, these oral health habits significantly affected CPI values only in the mixed dentition group (p < 0.01). These results suggest that continual dental support improves the periodontal condition and oral health habits of hemophilic patients, especially those with mixed dentition.

Background: Chemotherapy is a common treatment for pediatric cancer. Although life prognosis is improving because of advances in medical science, it is important to deal with late effects such as dental abnormalities. We investigated the association between dental abnormalities and chemotherapy by age and tooth type. Methods: Among the 568 patients referred to the pediatric dentistry department of our hospital, we selected 32 patients (21 male and 11 female) who received chemotherapy between the ages of 0 and 6 and underwent panoramic examination after the age of 7. We recorded the age of chemotherapy commencement, diagnosis of systemic disease, and dental abnormalities such as congenital absence, microdonts, and short-rooted teeth. Results: Almost half of the patients had dental abnormalities such as congenital absence, microdonts, and short-rooted teeth, but there were no significant differences in the incidence of these abnormalities by age. When we analyzed the incidence of abnormal teeth by tooth type, the incidence of congenital absence was significantly higher in premolars (5.5%) and second molars (3.9%) than in incisor or canine or 1st molar (0.4%) (p < 0.01). The incidence of microdonts was significantly higher in premolars (3.9%) than in incisor or canine or 1st molar (0.2%) and second molars (0.0%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients who received chemotherapy had a high prevalence of dental abnormalities, and the incidence of abnormalities varied by tooth type. It is important to maintain long-term oral care for patients who have undergone chemotherapy even after the treatment is completed.

The surface pre-reacted glass ionomer (S-PRG) filler is a type of bioactive functional glass that releases six different ions. This study examined the effects of the S-PRG filler eluate on Streptococcus mutans in the presence of sucrose. In a solution containing S. mutans, the concentrations of BO₃³⁻, Al³⁺, Sr²⁺, and F⁻ were significantly higher in the presence of the S-PRG filler eluate than in its absence (p < 0.001). The concentrations of these ions further increased in the presence of sucrose. Additionally, the S-PRG filler eluate significantly reduced glucan formation by S. mutans (p < 0.001) and significantly increased the pH of the bacterial suspension (p < 0.001). Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the S-PRG filler eluate downregulated genes involved in purine biosynthesis (purC, purF, purL, purM, and purN) and upregulated genes involved in osmotic pressure (opuAa and opuAb). At a low pH (5.0), the S-PRG filler eluate completely inhibited the growth of S. mutans in the presence of sucrose and significantly increased the osmotic pressure of the bacterial suspension compared with the control (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that ions released from the S-PRG filler induce gene expression changes and exert an inhibitory effect on S. mutans in the presence of sucrose.