Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing pediatric dentistry by supporting diagnostic accuracy, optimizing treatment planning, and improving patient care, especially for children with special needs. Previous studies explored various aspects of AI in pediatric dentistry and special care dentistry, predominantly focusing on clinical implementation or technical advancements. However, no prior review has specifically addressed its application at the intersection of pediatric dentistry and special care dentistry, particularly with respect to ethical and environmental perspectives. Objective: This scoping review provides a comprehensive synthesis of AI technologies in pediatric dentistry with a dedicated focus on children with special health care needs. It aims to critically evaluate current applications and examine the clinical, ethical, and environmental implementation challenges unique to these populations. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to August 2025, using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible studies investigated AI applications in pediatric dental care or special needs contexts. Studies were synthesized narratively according to thematic domains. Results: Sixty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Thematic synthesis identified nine domains of AI application: (1) diagnostic imaging and caries detection, (2) three-dimensional imaging, (3) interceptive and preventive orthodontics, (4) chatbots and teledentistry, (5) decision support, patient engagement and predictive analytics, (6) pain assessment and discomfort monitoring, (7) behavior management, (8) behavior modeling, and (9) ethical considerations and challenges. The majority of studies were conducted in general pediatric populations, with relatively few specifically addressing children with special health care needs. Conclusions: AI in pediatric dentistry is most developed in diagnostic imaging and caries detection, while applications in teledentistry and predictive analytics remain emerging, and areas such as pain assessment, behavior management, and behavior modelling are still exploratory. Evidence for children with special health care needs is limited and seldom validated, highlighting the need for focused research in this group. Ethical deployment of AI in pediatric dentistry requires safeguarding data privacy, minimizing algorithmic bias, preventing overtreatment, and reducing the carbon footprint of cloud-based technologies.

Congenital missing teeth are among the most prevalent dental malformations. Maxillary lateral incisors are particularly prone to agenesis, often missing bilaterally. This condition presented complex challenges for both patients and clinicians. The etiology of maxillary lateral incisor agenesis is multifactorial, involving genetic and environmental factors. The management is also inherently complex, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach. Treatment options include orthodontic space closure, resin-bonded bridges, implants, removable partial dentures, and autotransplantation. Among these, implant placement and orthodontic space closure are most commonly preferred by clinicians. The selection of an appropriate treatment modality depends on multiple factors, such as patient growth, available space, condition of adjacent teeth, and initial malocclusion. This review aimed to evaluate and compare various treatment options for maxillary lateral incisor agenesis, providing a comprehensive analysis of the latest evidence and highlighting the benefits and limitations of each approach to inform clinical decision-making.

The surgery-first approach has gained popularity in recent years due to its ability to bypass the presurgical orthodontic phase and significantly reduce treatment duration. However, its broader impact on quality of life and psychosocial outcomes in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion has not been systematically evaluated. This systematic review aimed to assess the effects of the surgery-first approach on quality of life, psychosocial outcomes, and treatment duration in this patient population. The review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases identified studies evaluating the surgery-first approach in skeletal class III patients. Studies addressing the impact of this approach on quality of life, psychosocial outcomes, and treatment duration were included, and the quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Due to heterogeneity in study designs and outcomes, a narrative synthesis of the data was performed. A total of eight studies, conducted between 2015 and 2022, with 252 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The surgery-first approach demonstrated significant improvements in quality of life, particularly in the early postoperative stages, while avoiding the decline typically observed during the presurgical phase of the conventional orthodontics-first approach. Psychosocial benefits, such as reduced anxiety and enhanced self-esteem, were consistently reported. Treatment duration for the surgery-first approach ranged from 7 to 15 months, significantly shorter than the conventional approach. However, the strength of the evidence was limited by small sample sizes and a lack of randomization in most studies. The surgery-first approach offers distinct advantages for skeletal class III patients, including improved quality of life, enhanced psychosocial outcomes, and shorter treatment duration compared to the conventional orthodontics-first protocol. Nevertheless, further high-quality randomized clinical studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes and ensure treatment stability.