Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is gaining attention as an effective adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment. This study evaluates the potential of LLLT to reduce bacterial load in a clinically relevant in vitro subgingival biofilm model and its impact on the inflammatory response. A subgingival biofilm model consisting of seven bacterial species was established. Primary human gingival fibroblasts (GFs) and periodontal ligament cells (PDLs) were cultured. Both biofilms and host cells were treated with the DenLase Diode Laser (980 nm) under various clinically relevant settings. The composition and structure of the seven-species biofilms were evaluated using quantitative PCR and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. The inflammatory response in host cells was analyzed by measuring the gene and protein expression levels of various inflammatory mediators. Laser treatment at power outputs ranging from 0.3 to 2 W had no significant effect on biofilm composition or architecture. LLLT, particularly at higher power settings, reduced the viability in both GFs and PDLs up to 70%. Gene expression levels of inflammatory mediators were only minimally influenced by laser treatment. However, LLLT significantly decreased the secretion of all examined cytokines. These findings suggest that LLLT with a 980 nm diode laser, under clinically relevant conditions, exerts anti-inflammatory rather than antimicrobial effects.

Background/Objectives: Accurate assessment of gingival thickness (GT) is important for periodontal and implant treatment planning. Methods: In this method-comparison study based on prospectively collected clinical data from 2012, GT was assessed at standardized buccal sites using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), bone sounding (BS), an earlier-generation pulse–echo ultrasound (US) device, and direct digital caliper (CA) measurement. Of 53 acquired CBCT scans, 12 (23%) were non-evaluable because the buccal soft tissues could not be reliably delineated, leaving 41 sites from 41 patients for analysis. A ±0.30 mm clinical comparison margin, based on the difference used in the original sample-size calculation, was applied to interpret agreement. Results: Mean comparator-minus-CBCT biases were −0.19 mm for BS (95% limits of agreement [LoA], −0.98 to 0.61 mm), −0.16 mm for US (95% LoA, −0.83 to 0.51 mm), and −0.71 mm for CA (95% LoA, −1.99 to 0.56 mm). Although BS and the tested US device showed smaller average differences from CBCT than CA, the LoA for all comparisons exceeded this margin. Phenotype classification was exploratory because only four sites were classified as thin by CBCT. Conclusions: BS and the tested pulse–echo US device showed smaller average differences from CBCT than CA; however, the limits of agreement for all comparisons exceeded this margin, so none of the comparator methods can be considered interchangeable with CBCT. The 23% non-evaluable CBCT rate and the device- and protocol-specific nature of the findings limit their generalizability to current-generation systems.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted radiographic tools offer new opportunities for diagnostic training in dental education, but evidence regarding their effect on independent student performance remains limited. This prospective randomized pilot study evaluated whether four weeks of supplementary training with an AI-based radiographic diagnostic-support application improved dental students’ performance in caries detection and periodontitis classification compared with conventional learning materials. Of 140 randomized students, 56 were included in the final analysis (AI-assisted group, n = 25; control group, n = 31). Diagnostic performance was assessed using bitewing-based caries tasks and panoramic-radiograph-based periodontitis classification, and outcomes were additionally analyzed according to study phase. The prespecified primary endpoint, total diagnostic performance across caries and periodontal tasks, was not met: scores did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.251). In secondary analyses, the AI-assisted group achieved numerically higher scores for several outcomes, although the difference in periodontitis extent (localized vs. generalized) was not statistically significant (p = 0.102). In an exploratory adjusted model that was not corrected for multiple comparisons, AI-assisted allocation was associated with better performance for the first caries response position (response position 1; p = 0.026); given the null result for the primary endpoint and the absence of correction for multiple testing, this finding should be regarded as hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. Study phase significantly influenced periodontitis grade and caries response position 1. Overall, these findings do not demonstrate a significant benefit of AI-assisted radiographic training on the primary outcome, but the isolated adjusted difference in one caries scoring component supports further evaluation of structured, faculty-supported integration of the AI application into undergraduate dental curricula.

Persistent Enterococcus faecalis infection in inaccessible dentinal regions contributes to endodontic treatment failure, and adjunctive diode laser disinfection has been proposed to reach these areas, but direct comparisons of 445 nm and 970 nm wavelengths in a standardized lateral canal model are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of a diode laser through a 0.5 mm dentin barrier in a clinically relevant ex vivo model and to compare its efficacy in reducing Enterococcus faecalis at wavelengths of 445 nm and 970 nm. Fifteen extracted human anterior teeth were instrumented to ProTaper F3, embedded in acrylic resin, and prepared with a standardized lateral canal 0.5 mm from the main canal. Following steam sterilization, the canals of specimens were inoculated with E. faecalis. Each tooth was exposed to all three conditions (control, 970 nm, 445 nm) across six successive experimental runs, and laser irradiation was performed through root dentin using a SiroLaser Blue diode laser (Dentsply Sirona), yielding 26 run-level measurements per condition overall. For each tooth, log10-transformed CFU/mL values were averaged within each condition prior to statistical analysis, giving one paired value per tooth per condition (n = 15). The mean log10-transformed bacterial load was 4.77 ± 0.12 in the control condition, 4.54 ± 0.11 following 970 nm irradiation, and 4.06 ± 0.75 following 445 nm irradiation. The Friedman test showed a significant overall difference among conditions (χ²(2) = 15.60, p < 0.001; Kendall’s W = 0.52), and Holm-adjusted Wilcoxon signed-rank pairwise comparisons (two-sided α = 0.05) showed significantly lower bacterial recovery following both 445 nm (mean tooth-level relative difference 55.9%; adjusted p = 0.0013) and 970 nm irradiation (38.2%; adjusted p = 0.0013) compared with the control, with significantly lower recovery following 445 nm than 970 nm irradiation (32.1%; adjusted p = 0.0215); these relative differences varied considerably among individual teeth. These findings indicate that diode laser irradiation exerts a wavelength-dependent antibacterial effect beyond the directly irradiated canal, supporting its potential as an adjunct to conventional root canal disinfection.