Background: Dental caries is considered one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide despite all dental public health efforts. Short sleep duration has been established as a risk factor for several medical conditions. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between sleep duration and dental caries. Methods: Data were collected from the 2017–2018 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative health survey conducted in the United States. Participants who completed sleep questionnaires were examined by dentists using standardized clinical criteria. Analysis was limited to Individuals aged ≥ 16 years with complete clinical oral examination data and who completed the sleep questionnaire (N = 5,205). The data were weighted to provide a national estimate, and multiple potential covariates were included in the analysis to account for the complex sample design. The main outcomes of the study were untreated dental caries and dental caries experience. The main predictor variables were average sleep hours/night and a binary variable with 7 h/night as a cut off. Multiple weighted Poisson and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the hypothesis that people with short sleep duration are more likely to exhibit dental caries. Results: This study showed a statistically significant negative relationship between sleep duration and dental caries amongst all weighted adjusted analyses conducted. For a one hour increase in average sleep hours, the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) of having a dental caries experience might decrease by 0.86 (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75–0.98, P < 0.05). Individuals who reported an average sleep of ≥ 7 h were less likely to have a dental caries experience compared to individuals who reported an average sleep of < 7 h (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33–0.82, P < 0.05). For a one hour increase in average sleep hours, the Adjusted Mean Ratio (AMR) of having a dental caries experience might decrease by 0.97 (AMR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96–0.99, P < 0.05), and was lower for those who reported sleeping ≥ 7 h/night than individuals who reported sleeping < 7 h/night (AMR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87–0.99, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Findings of this cross-sectional representative study of the U.S. population revealed a statistically significant negative association between sleep duration and dental caries. In this study, individuals who slept < 7 h/night were more likely to exhibit dental caries.

Despite the increase in dental care utilization in the U.S., access to dental care is limited by many barriers, particularly financial ones. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the affordability of dental treatment and oral health outcomes. This cross-sectional study utilized 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (NHANES). The key outcomes measured included the number of decayed teeth, missed teeth due to caries, and filled teeth (DMFT), the number of untreated teeth with dental decay and missing teeth, the presence of root caries, and the affordability of dental care as the main predictor. Descriptive analyses, negative binomial analyses for count outcomes, and logistic regression for binary outcomes were conducted. The analyses were adjusted for the NHANES sampling weights. The study included 11,566 participants, 14.17% of whom reported being unable to afford dental treatment. Among those who could not afford dental treatment, the mean ratio was 3.27 (95% CI: 2.72–3.95; p < 0.01) for untreated dental decay, along with a higher DMFT (mean ratio 1.24; 95% CI: 1.18–1.31; p < 0.01) compared with those who could afford treatment. The odds of having root caries were significantly greater (odds ratio 4.46; 95% CI: 3.53–5.64; p < 0.01) among those unable to afford dental care than among those who could afford treatment. Individuals who cannot afford dental care experienced significantly higher ratios of untreated dental decay and other oral health outcomes. The findings highlight the necessity for targeted interventions to address financial barriers and improve access to dental services.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to evaluate general dentists and dental specialists’ knowledge regarding obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis, referral, risk factors, and treatment. Methods: A systematic search of databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, and ProQuest, was conducted for studies published up to 25 September 2023, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria included cross-sectional studies that assessed the knowledge of general dentists or dental specialists. A quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Results: The seven included studies demonstrated varied knowledge levels among respondents regarding polysomnography as the gold standard for diagnosing OSA, with percentages ranging from 40.18% to 90%. While recognition of craniofacial structure as a risk factor for OSA was consistently high, knowledge about body weight as a risk factor varied. Additionally, the understanding of continuous positive airway pressure as the standard treatment showed discrepancies across the studies. Conclusions: Given that some of the included articles displayed a moderate to high risk of bias, the results highlight the varying levels of OSA knowledge among dentists and specialists across the studies. This indicates a potential need for targeted educational programs to improve their understanding and management of OSA.

This study aimed to assess the link between fast-food consumption and oral health outcomes as measured by the mean number of decayed, missing due to dental disease, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT) and teeth with untreated dental caries. This study utilized data obtained from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES). The data used was collected from 11,288 participants aged 20 and above from 2015 to 2018. The frequency of fast-food consumption was divided into two groups: “less than two meals over the past seven days” and “two meals or more over the past seven days.” The mean number of DMFT and teeth with untreated dental caries were used to assess the participants’ oral health. The link between fast-food consumption and these mean values was explored using Poisson regression analysis, in which confounding variables such as income, race, age, and sex were adjusted for. After adjusting for these variables, the results revealed that individuals who reported consuming two or more fast-food meals during the preceding seven days had higher mean numbers of DMFT and teeth with untreated dental caries compared to those who consumed less than two fast-food meals during the same period (adjusted mean ratio = 1.05; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.10 and mean ratio = 1.22; 95 % CI 1.01–1.47, respectively). Conclusion: This study revealed a link between poor oral health outcomes and fast-food consumption. Consequently, public health officials must focus on fast-food settings and availability of high-sugar-content items. Interventions that target fast-food outlets and what they offer may have a positive impact on oral health.

Dental electronic health records (EHRs) often lack comprehensive data for evaluating procedure outcomes. Machine learning (ML) enables predictive modeling but its applicability to dental EHR data remains unclear. This study assessed the readiness of dental EHRs for predicting restoration failure using classical and ML models. Data from the BigMouth Dental Data Repository was analyzed, focusing on posterior restorations in permanent molars of vital teeth. Failure was defined as root canal treatment or extraction within five years. Predictors included restoration type, caries depth, number of surfaces filled, time to failure, age, and gender. Cox proportional hazards analysis and ML models compared amalgam and composite restorations. A total of 21,510 restorations placed between 2011 and 2020 across nine universities were identified. Both classical and ML analyses indicated superior five-year survival for composite restorations. Classic survival analysis showed a higher failure rate for amalgam (8.84 %) compared to composite (4.36 %). Among ML survival models, Cox Proportional Hazards (Cox pH), Random Survival Forest (RSF), and DeepSurv, Cox pH had the highest Concordance Index (C-Index) at 0.64, while RSF and DeepSurv both achieved 0.63. RSF recorded the highest Time-Dependent Area Under Curve (0.620). Age, restoration type, and number of surfaces filled were the most significant predictors of restoration survival. Our findings demonstrate that dental EHRs, in their current state, are not yet equipped to support accurate assessment and prediction of restoration failure. ML models achieved only moderate predictive performance, largely due to the absence of key clinical variables necessary for precise evaluation. Gaps in dental EHR data limit the accuracy of ML-based risk prediction. Enhancing diagnostic coding and data standardization can improve predictive modeling, support evidence-based decision-making, and optimize treatment planning. Strengthening EHR documentation will enable Artificial Intelligence-driven tools to enhance clinical outcomes and advance precision dentistry.

Objectives: Modern dentistry has introduced color-matching restorations along with commercial finishing/polishing kits to improve color stability. This study aims to evaluate the effect of three finishing and polishing kits on the color stability of Filtek™ Z250 resin composite.Methods: This study involved 140 resin composite discs categorized into three experimental groups: Sof-Lex, Super-Snap, and OptiDisc (40 discs each), along with a control group of 20 discs. Each disc was exposed to either coffee or cola after finishing or following both finishing and polishing. Mean color change was computed for each group. A One-Way ANOVA was conducted to compare mean color changes among the finishing kits.Results: Super-Snap demonstrated the highest color stability among different finishing kits for Filtek™ Z250 resin composites in coffee staining, with a mean color change of 10.7. After finishing and polishing, its color stability improved to 10.2. For cola staining, Super-Snap had a mean color stability of 2.98, which decreased to 2.07 after polishing. However, there were no significant differences between the kits (p > 0.05). Furthermore, immersion in coffee resulted in significantly greater color changes compared to cola for all tested groups (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The three multi-step finishing and polishing kits for Filtek™ Z250 demonstrated similar color stability, with coffee showing a higher staining potential than cola. Patients with anterior composite restorations may require education about the risk of staining and the importance of dental follow-ups to maintain the aesthetic quality of their restorations.