Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the most common chronic disease and can be reflected in the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of metabolic control on saliva, dental caries, dental plaque, gingival inflammation, and cariogenic bacteria in saliva. Methods: A case–control epidemiologic study was performed on children with type 1 diabetes (ages 10–15 years) separated into two groups: 34 children with good metabolic control of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c < 7.5%) and 46 children with poor metabolic control of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c > 7.5%). Oral status was assessed using the Decay, Missing, and Filled Teeth index for permanent teeth (DMFT), plaque index and gingival index. The stimulated salivary flow rate was measured, and the colonies of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus in saliva were determined. The observed children answered questions related to their frequency of brushing habits, dental visits and parents’ education. Mann–Whitney U Test, Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test were used in the statistical analyses. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The children with diabetes with poor metabolic control had significantly higher values of the DMFT index, plaque index, and gingival index, more colonies, and a higher risk of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus than the children with diabetes with good metabolic control (p < 0.001). The level of metabolic control of diabetes had no influence on salivary flow rates (p > 0.05). The majority of both groups with good and poor metabolic control brushed their teeth once per day, and they visited the dentist only when necessary (61.3%). However, the parents of children in both groups had medium to low levels of education, without any significant difference between groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that children with diabetes have a lower level of oral hygiene and are potentially to dental caries and periodontal diseases, mainly when their metabolic disorder is uncontrolled.

Objective: To evaluate the oral health status of 12-year-old schoolchildren in Kosovo. Material and Methods: The study involved 1204 schoolchildren aged 12 years from urban and rural areas, from different cities of Kosovo. The questionnaire included demographic data, gender, residence, dental status, oral hygiene, and daily brushing habits. The feasibility of the questionnaire was verified replicating it on 10% of the sample. Daily brushing habits were reported to frequency: as once per day, twice a day and rarely. Caries status was recorded in permanent dentition as DMFT and Oral Hygiene Index - Simplified (OHI-S) was used to assess oral hygiene status. The analysis included occurrences and means. The differences among means were tested using the student t-test (p<0.05). Results: The highest mean and standard deviation of DMFT and OHI-S index was found among rural schoolboys 3.67 ± 1.98 and OHI-S 1.75. In total sample, 54.1% of them brush their teeth only once a day, 39.7 % brush their teeth twice a day and only 6.2 % rarely brush their teeth. Conclusion: Preventive measures are needed to improve dental health in 12 years old schoolchildren.

In forensic contexts, age assessments constitute matters of substantial legal consequence, particularly in proceedings involving children and young adolescents. Dental age estimation (DAE) techniques are widely used for this purpose, especially in cases involving undocumented minors. This study assesses intra- and inter-observer reliability across four well established radiographic systems for dental analysis.: Gleiser and Hunt Modified by Köhler (GHK), Demirjian (DEM), Kullman (KUL), and Cameriere’s Third Molar Maturity Index (I3M). A total of 50 panoramic radiographs from individuals aged 14-23.99 years were analyzed by nine qualified forensic experts. The observers assessed the development stages of third molars using the three staging methods (GHK, DEM, KUL) and measured the I3M using Cameriere's metric approach. Primarily, the quantitative assessment for analyzing the agreement was Cohen’s Kappa, Gwet’s Agreement Coefficient (AC1) and (AC2), and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Statistical analysis revealed high intra-observer reliability for all methods, with coefficient values indicating strong agreement among individual observers. In terms of inter-observer reliability, the I3M achieved the highest agreement (ICC 0.986), followed by DEM (AC2 0.918), GHK (AC2 0.914), and KUL (AC2 0.868). Notably, maxillary third molars consistently showed lower inter-observer agreement than mandibular third molars, particularly when assessed using the DEM and GHK methods. The highest inter-observer agreement in cases where a tooth could not be staged or measured was observed for the KUL method (AC1 0.993), followed by I3M (AC1 0.988), with DEM and GHK, demonstrating equivalent levels of agreement (AC1 0.954). All of the tested methods yielded highly reliable results, especially DEM and GHK. The choice of a staging method should be guided by the specific objectives of each study. Moreover, while the I3M method demonstrated high reliability values, obtaining identical repeated measurements was nearly impossible due to its metric approach.