Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated widespread changes in delivery of dental care. Telemedicine utilization increased overnight during this pandemic because of its ability to enhance access to oral healthcare, easily link to remote area, time management, low cost, etc. We aimed to identify the utilization of telemedicine among oral medicine practitioners in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic and identify future impacts, potential challenges and barriers hindering the implementation of telemedicine. Methods: The present cross-sectional electronically self-administered supplement-based survey Supplement Based Survey study was conducted among different professional levels of oral medicine involving consultants, specialists, and residents. The supplement includes demographic data, the current use of telemedicine, participant’s perspective on future implications, and potential barriers and limitations of telemedicine. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha (α) to assess how closely related a set of items in our study. Results: Of the total (N = 75) oral healthcare professionals, 52% were male, 70.7% were Saudi, 45.3% were consultant, 42.7% had 1– 5 years of experience, 82.7% were practicing in urban areas, 93.3% stated COVID-19 affected their clinics, consultation was the major reason for the use of telemedicine before (50.7%) and during (72%) COVID-19 outbreak, 57.3% were communicating with their patients, 97.33% had not experienced any cyber risk, and 45% patients were satisfied with the telemedicine service; our data showed a high level of homogeneity (α = 0.82). The poor knowledge and training on telemedicine technologies may substantially (p < 0.05) impact the future implications of telemedicine in oral medicine practice. Conclusion: Telemedicine could be a useful adjunct for oral medicine practice, especially for remote diagnosis, consultation, referral, training and education. Our study emphasizes an urgent need to increase the awareness and education on how to utilize and practice telemedicine technologies among medical staff to maximize the efficiency.

Introduction: Green-synthesized nanoparticles show promise as anti-biofilm and antibacterial agents in medical applications, including dental implants and oral devices. However, conventional antibacterial testing methods are laborious and lack sensitivity. Quartz tuning fork (QTF)-based biosensors offer a compelling alternative due to their high sensitivity, compact size, and cost-effectiveness. This study evaluates a QTF biosensor for quantifying the antibacterial activity of green-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles against negative and positive Gram bacteria. Methods: The antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles was tested in a simulated oral environment against Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (gram-negative) using a QTF biosensor. Changes in resonance frequency and quality factor were measured to assess bacterial growth inhibition. Experiments were conducted with varying ZnO concentrations (eg, 1 mm) to correlate sensor responses with antibacterial effects. Results: The QTF biosensor detected significant antibacterial activity as resonance frequency decreased by 5.69 ± 3.81 hz (S. aureus) and 30.57 ± 4.01 hz (E. coli) in 1 mm ZnO. Quality factor declined by 31.75 ± 7.55 for E. coli but remained stable for S. aureus. Higher bacterial concentrations (lower ZnO doses) increased damping effects, reducing the quality factor. S. aureus exhibited greater sensitivity to ZnO nanoparticles than E. coli. Discussion: The QTF biosensor successfully quantified the antibacterial effects of green-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles, demonstrating its potential as a rapid, sensitive alternative to traditional methods. The differential responses of S. aureus and E. coli suggest species-specific interactions with ZnO, warranting further study. This approach could streamline the development of biocompatible, antibacterial medical materials.

Introduction: Bruxism remains a diagnostic challenge, with no consistently reliable clinical approaches available to document the condition with satisfactory accuracy. This study aimed to incorporate a biosensor device into a conventional bite-night guard to detect bruxism in an in vitro setting.Methods: A sandwich-layering process was used to integrate stress and vibration sensors into an acrylic occlusal stabilization splint. The system included a microcontroller, control unit, and data acquisition module. Occlusal force signals were processed using artificial intelligence-based algorithms. A total of 200 repeated trials were conducted to evaluate system performance. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated as validation metrics.Results: The biosensor prototype demonstrated reliable performance across a force range of 274–700 N. Quantitative evaluation of the neural network yielded an accuracy of 91%, sensitivity of 88%, and specificity of 90% in distinguishing occlusal force thresholds.Conclusion: The findings confirm the feasibility of integrating biosensors within an intraoral appliance for bruxism detection in vitro. Future research should explore long-term durability testing in moist environments and conduct in vivo trials to validate clinical performance.

RUNX2, known as the core-binding factor subunit alpha-1 (Cbfa1), is a protein-coding gene recognized and responsible for its involvement in bone development and osteoblast differentiation. However, its dysregulation and aberrant expression have been linked to the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This review highlights the significance of the RUNX2 gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Objectives. To review the contribution of the RUNX2 gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its implication on clinical diagnosis and treatments. Materials and Methods. A systematic scoping review was conducted to elucidate the role of RUNX2 in OSCC. A framework of five stages for scoping reviews outlined by Arksey and OMalley (2005) was adopted for the current study. Results. The review showed that RUNX2 plays a role in the development and progression of OSCC, a common form of head and neck cancer. Conclusion. RUNX2 is an essential player in the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma, and its dysregulation promotes tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis, making it a potential target therapy for future research aimed at developing novel therapies for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Clinical Relevance. Understanding the precise mechanisms by which RUNX2 contributes to OSCC pathogenesis can lead to target treatment for this challenging form of cancer.

Background: An aged population is susceptible to chronic diseases, which impacts oral surgery treatment procedures. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence of medical comorbidities in 640 oral surgery patients treated at the College of Dentistry, Jazan University. Material/Methods: This single-center observational study investigated medical records of outpatients who visited Jazan University Dental College Hospital in a 1-year period (2018-2019). Patients' clinical and radiographic archives were screened to obtain relevant data. Categorical and continuous variables were expressed in terms of frequency and mean values, respectively. Differences in variables were statistically analyzed using the chi-square goodness of fit and proportional test, with a probability value P 0.05 pound considered significant. Results: Analysis of 640 patient records included records of 300 men and 340 women who underwent oral surgery, of whom 176 patients (27.5%), including 97 men and 79 women, had medical comorbidities. The most common comorbidities were endocrine disease (7.03%), cardiovascular disease (6.71%), respiratory disease (4.53%), and hematological disorders (3.43%). Individual diseases that showed higher prevalence were diabetes mellitus (4.68%), hypertension (3.43%), bronchial asthma (2.65%), and anemia (1.4%). Differences by sex were observed in many individual disorders. Conclusions: Outpatients in oral surgery clinics presented a significant variance in the incidence of medical comorbidities, among which diabetes and hypertension were most common. A proper case history is the best preventive measure that helps a surgeon avert medical emergencies and post-surgical complications.