Sodium fluoride is widely used in preventive dentistry, yet its global safety profile has not been comprehensively characterised using real-world data. This study aimed to characterise reporting patterns and safety signals associated with sodium fluoride through an integrated pharmacovigilance analysis of the FDA adverse event reporting system (FAERS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase. Adverse event (AE) reports related to sodium fluoride were extracted from FAERS (2004-2024) and VigiBase (1971-2024). Reporting characteristics, including demographic distributions, reporter type, and event seriousness, were summarised descriptively. AEs were coded using the medical dictionary for regulatory activities (MedDRA) at the preferred term (PT) and system organ class (SOC) levels. Disproportionality-based signal detection was performed using multiple algorithms, and cross-database validation was applied to evaluate signal consistency and database-specific reporting features. Reporting patterns differed between the two systems: FAERS reports were predominantly submitted from the United States and by consumers, whereas VigiBase reports were mainly from Europe, with a higher proportion of health care professionals reporting. Reports involving female individuals were more frequently observed in both databases. Safety signals were primarily concentrated in oral and dental conditions, including dental fluorosis and acute oral mucosal reactions. Overall, 122 shared safety signals were identified across the two databases, with 62% involving oral or dental tissues. Adult populations accounted for a substantial proportion of reported signals, and a high proportion of reports were classified as serious, with predominantly early reported onset intervals. This dual-database pharmacovigilance analysis identified consistent sodium fluoride-associated safety signals with a predominant oral and dental focus, alongside notable geographic and demographic reporting differences. Cross-database validation highlighted complementary strengths of FAERS and VigiBase for global safety surveillance of fluoride-containing dental products. These findings support enhanced awareness of sodium fluoride-related safety patterns and may inform targeted monitoring strategies in preventive dental practice.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the high-risk group for root caries using unsupervised machine learning and to explore the associated factors. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 423 adults aged 65 to 74 years, surveyed in 2021. Clusters representing root caries risk were identified using k-prototypes clustering, with the optimal number of clusters determined by the maximum silhouette index. The confusion matrix and alluvial diagram were used to visualize the predictive accuracy and composition of the clustering results. Binary logistic regression models further analyzed the associated factors, while ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves and the random forest model visualized the predictive performance and the most important associated factors. Results: Two clusters were identified: cluster 1, with low root caries risk (21.5% with and 78.5% without root caries), and cluster 2, with high root caries risk (83.7% with and 16.3% without root caries). The clustering results predicted root caries with an accuracy of 0.81, sensitivity of 0.79, and specificity of 0.83. Overlapping results from binary logistic regression and the random forest model indicated that older age, more periodontal pockets, more attachment loss, female, a history of systemic diseases, presence of xerostomia, and presence of unrestored tooth loss were positively associated with cluster 2. Brushing tooth ≥ 2 times per day and a high level of oral health knowledge were negatively associated with cluster 2. The ROC curve for the binary logistic regression model showed an AUC (area under the curve) of 0.84. Conclusion: Individuals who are older, female, with poorer oral and systemic health status, suboptimal oral hygiene behaviors, and lower oral health knowledge levels are more likely to be identified as high-risk group. The identified factors, revealed through unsupervised machine learning, can facilitate personalized prevention and management strategies for root caries in older adults.

Background: Educational background is a major associated factor on oral health. However, comprehensive analyses of global research trends in this field remain limited. This study aimed to analyze the current status, hotspots, and developmental trends in research on the impact of educational background on oral health. Methods: This study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis using data from the Web of Science Core Collection database, covering the period between 2000 and 2024. The search strategy combined terms related to education and oral health. A total of 1080 articles were retrieved and analyzed using GraphPad 8.0.2, CiteSpace 6.2. R6, and VOSviewer 1.6.20 visualization software. This study examined publication trends, countries/regions, journals, institutions, authors and research hotspots. Results: The analysis revealed a steady increase in publications over the study period, with a notable surge in the past 4 years. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Brazil emerged as the leading countries. With the exception of 1 institution and 1 author from Brazil, the top 5 institutions, authors, and journals in terms of publication, citation, and collaboration strength are all from developed countries. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed that the predominant research keywords are centered most around health literacy. Keywords clustering grouped the terms into twelve categories, and the cluster of oral health education is the most highly focused area. The analysis of keyword temporal trends reveals a gradual decline in prominent research clusters over time, from 7 to 5 and then to 4. From 2020 to 2024, oral health knowledge, older adults, diseases, and students are emerging hotspots. Conclusion: The research landscape on the impact of education on oral health is dynamic and holds significant potential for further development. Enhanced collaboration among countries, institutions, and authors is essential to foster interdisciplinary advancements and address global challenges within this field. Recent trends in research indicate a growing specialization within subdomains and an increasing emphasis on early prevention.

Background: Chlorhexidine is effective in managing periodontal diseases but has side effects. Curcumin is a natural alternative with anti-inflammatory properties. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy of curcumin and chlorhexidine on clinical variables in periodontal diseases. Methods: This study included only randomized controlled trials. The primary outcomes were differences in mean plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI); the secondary outcomes were differences in probing depth (PD), attachment loss (AL), and bleeding index (BI). Data were analyzed by Stata software. Results: Twenty-six randomized controlled trials comprising 1266 subjects were included. Twenty-four studies had a high risk of bias, and 2 studies had some concerns. The pooled data revealed comparable efficacy of curcumin and chlorhexidine in reducing PI ( I ² = 83.3%; standardized mean difference [SMD]: −0.041, 95% confidence interval [CI, −0.245–0.163], P = .692), GI ( I ² = 87.8%; SMD: 0.033, 95% CI [−0.216–0.281], P = .797), and BI ( I ² = 77.7%; SMD: −0.044, 95% CI [−0.208–0.295], P = .735). However, the efficacy of chlorhexidine was found to be superior to curcumin in reducing PD ( I ² = 93.7%; SMD: 0.883, 95% CI [0.419–1.347], P < .001) and AL ( I ² = 90.1%; SMD: 0.539, 95% CI [0.019–1.058], P = .042). As for the subgroup analyses of follow-up term, there was a nonsignificant difference between curcumin and chlorhexidine in PI, GI, and BI. As for PD and AL, the subgroup analyses of follow-up term showed different results from the overall pooled analysis: the short term (≤ 1 month) showed the superior efficacy of chlorhexidine over curcumin; however, the long term (> 1 month) showed similar efficacy. Conclusion: Curcumin could be an alternative to chlorhexidine and adjunctively used in reducing clinical variables of periodontal diseases, especially with regard to plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation.

Dietary factors, influenced by educational attainment (EA) have the potential to affect development and course of chronic periodontitis (CP), whereby, the potential mediating role of dietary factors in the casual associations remain unclear. This study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the causal effect of EA on CP and to identify and quantify the mediating role of dietary factors, aiming to provide evidence for improving CP management. EA was considered as exposure, dietary factors as mediator, and CP as outcome. Genome-wide association study summary statistics were obtained from 3 large-scale public databases: the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium, the UK Biobank, and the FinnGen project. The main MR method was inverse-variance weighted, supported by complementary methods including MR-Egger regression, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode. The reverse causality detection was verified through Steiger filtering. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess potential horizontal pleiotropy, heterogeneity, and robustness of the MR analysis. Higher EA was causally associated with a reduced risk of CP (odds ratio = 0.772, 95% confidence interval: 0.663–0.899, P < .001). Among the dietary factors, alcohol and fruit consumption were identified as significant mediators, with mediation effects of −0.17 and −0.11, accounting for 67% and 44% of the total effect, respectively. The robustness of the MR results was confirmed by the sensitivity analysis. This study provides genetically predicted evidence supporting a protective causal effect of EA on CP, and highlights the mediating effect of alcohol and fruit consumption. These findings suggest that modifying specific dietary factors could be an effective strategy in CP management.

Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is a complex biological process involving bone remodeling, which can be significantly affected by systemic diseases and sy